Honorable Intentions
by A Stereotypical Gamer
Summary: Yang encourages Tai to finally get out of the house and have some time to himself. While helping his old friends in Vale, he catches up with one of his old students and becomes entranced by the woman she has become. Soon he finds himself torn between the power of the spark he feels for her and his duty of care to his daughter. What will he do? What will he choose?
1. A Thousand Words

**Honorable Intentions**

By A Stereotypical Gamer

* * *

 **Chapter One: A Thousand Words**

When her dad was out in the woods, he tended to leave his Scroll behind in the house so he could be alone with nature and free of distractions. Normally it'd sit idle at a charging station and Yang could forget it was there, while enjoying having the house to herself a few precious hours. Today, however…

 _Beep._

Someone was texting her dad. Someone was texting him _a lot_.

 _Beep._

Yang tried to ignore it at first, thinking it was one of his colleagues at Signal trying frantically to make sense of his rather haphazard lecture notes, but as the day wore on and her dad's Scroll kept informing her of one notification after another, with the volume left to max…

 _Beep. Beep._

Yang tried to raise the volume on the television, but had to lower it after a few minutes of particularly depressing news reports on Grimm and White Fang activity. And as a result Yang kept hearing her dad's device buzz with one notification after another, and eventually some combination of annoyance and curiosity got the better of her. Yang finally made her way to the Scroll and looked at the surface of the touch screen, just to gain a glimpse of what could possibly be so important as to send a dozen messages.

Yang idly ran her index finger over the surface of the Scroll, and then almost immediately jumped back in astonishment, nearly tripping over her feet. She raised her hand to her mouth, trying in vain to force her surprise back into her body.

Slowly, steadily, Yang stepped back towards the Scroll and reached down again, to look at the latest notification, of a picture she never expected to see, of a _person_ she never expected to see in such a… manner. Certainly the last place Yang would ever look would be her dad's Scroll.

There were a few texts above the pic, and Yang couldn't fight her curiosity as she went back through the timeline of messages, trying desperately to establish some context for it all.

 **Missing you.**

That much was obvious. She went to great lengths to catch his attention.

 **When are you next in town?**

Taiyang was heading back to Vale in a few days… though as far as Yang knew that was just to help with the relief efforts with the other huntsmen working under Professor Goodwitch to try and reclaim parts of Beacon from the Grimm.

 **Remember what we talked about when we-** Yang abruptly stopped reading the rest of her inquiry when the wording started getting a bit too specific and way, _way_ too _explicit_.

Then, of course, there was the picture. Yang had never seen her without something tasteful and fashionable on. Wearing just a satin sheet may have been a good look for her, but seeing the image _on her dad's Scroll_ really soured the experience for Yang.

Yang was trying to figure out what could lead to this series of events, even though she was trying hard not to dwell on the particulars. She wanted to know why… albeit she really didn't want to know how. Except she did. With as few details as possible. Except if it were anyone but her dad she'd want to know _everything_. Except it _was_ her dad and thus she didn't want to know. But she _had_ to know.

Yang couldn't stop staring at the picture and the string of texts. Why was she sending this to Taiyang? Were they an item? Her texts implied they'd engaged in… social activities, so it didn't seem this was being sent to her dad unprompted. Which meant she was into Yang's dad…

Had Yang ever brought him up to her before? Ruby might've mentioned him when hanging out with her teammate. Yang remembered meeting her at Signal, a year ahead. Her Dad _taught_ her at some point; at some point in the past she'd been his student. He was twenty years her senior. She was literally half his age.

And they were an item.

Yang tried to run through all the ways this could've happened and how they got to this point. It had been going on a while, but when had it begun? When had this started and what possible set of circumstances could lead them this far?

These weren't questions she wanted to think about, but Yang could think of nothing else. Even when she finally managed to set the Scroll down she hadn't stopped reading the words. Even when she could tear her eyes from the picture and go sit down and watch TV she couldn't stop seeing the beauty in the satin sheet.

And when Taiyang did return, with a bounty of lumber over his shoulder, Yang tried to appear nonchalant. She waited for him to go find the Scroll on his own, hoping that maybe she could be subtle in broaching the subject.

Unfortunately, Yang wasn't good at subtle. When Tai went to collect his device, Yang blurted out: "So, you have a girlfriend?"

It was probably as kind as she could put it. It beat the myriad of other words she'd considered using to describe her.

Tai looked down at his Scroll, then back to his daughter. He gave a grim nod before walking over, sitting on the couch beside Yang. "I wasn't sure when I was going to tell you. I didn't know how you'd take it."

It would've been easier to be upset with him were he not so sincere. But Yang managed to keep her focus and looked down at the Scroll. "Well, there's no time like the present."

Tai nodded and tabbed through his image directory, finding the first picture he could find, of the two of them at the relief center in the Vale Safe Zone, taken at an odd angle by her teammate, the… somewhat uncoordinated photographer. "You remember when you finally convinced me to get out of the house?"

* * *

Yang had been careful in presenting her suggestion, and eventually her subtle hints worked. Taiyang finally agreed to give her a bit of alone time. Tai was wary about leaving her after Ruby's abrupt and unannounced departure, but she managed to convince him she wouldn't force him to go through that again. He wouldn't be gone too long; not that he expected Yang to run off, but he couldn't help but worry. A few days to herself might do Yang some good, and Tai had something in mind that might help mitigate his concerns.

Since he was still on a leave of absence from Signal, Tai thought he might head to the mainland and help with the relief efforts in the Vale Safe Zone. The Grimm still overran Beacon, and Glynda and her team could always use an extra hand to keep them from intruding outside their stronghold.

Taiyang helped Glynda and her team recapture a power station outside the Safe Zone and expanded the borders of their protected area, so they could have a larger ration of electricity for the citizens still stranded in Vale. It didn't make for a relaxing detour, but Tai could take pride in helping some old friends and doing good work for downtrodden civilians.

He found Port and Oobleck at the relief center and caught up with them in the makeshift cafeteria, swapping stories about school days at Beacon, with Oobleck surpassing all kinds of old records for marksmanship and confirmed kill counts, and Port's ascendancy from an assistant professorship to a tenure track after supervising Team STRQ in their first year. Port was regaling them with a tale about a Faunus girl who'd had eyes for Qrow before being scared off by his female teammates, only to abruptly stop when the students stuck in the Safe Zone with them came to collect their post-mission meal.

Team CFVY, who would've been wrapping up their second year were it not for the semester's abrupt end, remained behind in Vale to help try and retake Beacon from the Grimm. They were the only students left still able to fight; everyone else had either fled the kingdom or taken to guarding some small part of it, far away from the front lines. They alone -four second year students- tried to fight back against the smothering dark.

It was easy for Coco Adel- as Tai recalled, she lived in Vale. She was near the top of her class at Signal Academy. As for the other three, Tai didn't want to speculate, but he theorized they probably didn't have anywhere else to go.

The teammates sat together and talked. Tai would've been content to leave them to it and stick to chatting with his old friends, until his former student found her way over to greet them, making her presence felt with a pat on Tai's shoulder. "Wow, Mr. Xiao Long… long time no see! How've you been?"

"Please, call me Tai," Taiyang requested. "Mr. Xiao Long makes me sound old."

"And what –may I ask- is wrong with being a little seasoned?" Port inquired.

Coco smirked, tugging on Tai's arm. "Care to sit with the cool kids instead?"

"Nah, I haven't been cool since I graduated," Tai assured her.

"Maybe I'll rub off on you," Coco suggested. "Besides, I'd love to catch up."

Tai glanced at Port and Oobleck, doing his best to look apologetic. "Guys, duty calls."

"Of course, of course," Oobleck waved him off, while Port seamlessly transitioned into an entirely different story, focusing on Oobleck's mishap with the coffee maker before the Vytal Festival sound test…

Coco found an unoccupied table to take Tai to. Tai glanced back at her other three teammates still dining on their own. Coco followed his glance and smirked. "Giving the lovebirds some privacy."

"Lovebirds?" Tai repeated. He tried to glance past to see which two of the three Coco was referring to –or if maybe there was a less traditional relationship going on- but Coco leaned up to obscure his field of vision.

"Privacy, remember?" Coco asked him.

"Sorry," Tai acknowledged, pulling back a bit. Coco seemed to want his attention for herself, and he figured he should indulge her.

She started talking about Tai's daughters, taking a moment to emphasize how grateful she was for Ruby in particular, who'd become close to Coco's teammate Velvet. She also asked about Yang and inquired to her condition. Coco admitted they weren't close, but felt enough sense of camaraderie to at least ask.

The conversation shifted to adjusting to life after the fall of Beacon. Coco had taken her teammates into one of the apartments her family owned in the city, but they'd spent most of their nights in one of the abandoned Atlas barracks so they could be close to the front of the Safe Zone and be ready to push back the Grimm. Coco may not have realized it, but she was already living like a huntress, foregoing ease and luxury so she could go out and fight every day. Tai tried to gently remind her to take some time away from the battlefield, especially while she had her friends around, but Coco seemed determined to stay at the front and keep running headlong into battle.

Summer had been the same way.

Of all the thoughts he might've had, that was probably the one that led to his undoing. That was probably the moment he got into trouble.

If not then, shortly after when Coco asked: "So, how long are you sticking around?"

Tai had been planning on returning to Patch before the end of the day, but thought he should humor her. "Don't know. Why?"

"We're going on a supply run tomorrow outside the Safe Zone," Coco explained, before playfully needling him. "Do you still remember how to fight Grimm, or did you forget how to do that after you graduated too?"

Tai worried about Yang, even though he was sure she could manage without him. He rationalized he'd always be worried about his girls, and he'd been a bit overbearing to Yang already, and could use a distraction, even if it kept him away from her a while longer. "Sounds to me like I should teach you a thing or two."

* * *

Tai hadn't had a particularly comfortable sleep in the barracks. He kept waking up and realizing he wasn't at home and Yang wasn't a few doors away. He was still drowsy when he climbed into the Bullhead with Team CFVY and Oobleck, but when they finally landed back in the ruins of Beacon, he found himself wide awake. It hurt to see his old school crumbling and broken, and it was impossible for him not to be alert with dozens of Grimm wandering through his field of vision.

He had people who needed his help and a daughter to get home to. He couldn't afford to be sloppy just because he'd lost a few hours sleep. He wasn't a young man anymore, but Taiyang had never forgotten how to throw a punch. He cracked his knuckles and stretched out his legs before moving in to show a Beowolf the business end of his fist… only for Coco to disintegrate the beast with a hailstorm from her minigun.

She was trying to show him up. How quaint.

Tai smirked at her before punching the next Beowolf he saw, destroying the soulless beast with a single blow. Coco could certainly rack up a quantity of kills, but Tai knew he could surpass her in the quality of his strikes. He may not have been able to go shot for shot against a minigun, but he could certainly make his shots count.

When Coco needed to reload, a Griffon bounded down to attack her. Tai jumped in and gave it a punch, casting her a cocky smirk. Saving girls from the Grimm… it was just like the good old days.

Coco stepped past him, collapsing her minigun into a more compact handbag, swinging its heavy mass with ease to clonk a Beowolf on Tai's flank. She'd returned the favor, and he hadn't even had a good excuse for being distracted.

Not that she seemed to mind. She only cast him a smirk of her own while Tai covered her so she could finish reloading. They continued to put down the Grimm swarming through the ruined courtyard, Coco's teammates running back and forth from the crumbling wreckage of the cafeteria, securing foodstuffs and loading them into the Bullhead, Oobleck and Fox keeping the ship intact.

Her confident smile energized him. The long fight should've been agony, but there was no way Tai would let Coco see his age. He just pushed himself harder, focusing more of his Aura into each swing, taking out multiple targets at once, showing off just a little bit more with each hit. Coco seemed to interpret his increased efforts as a challenge, and she started aiming at bigger targets, taking out a Deathstalker and a Giant Nevermore to match all the Beowolves Tai dealt with.

They were both charged with adrenaline. What should've been a terrifying battle against overwhelming numbers of monsters had turned into a sport, each of them trying to outdo each other, protecting one another so fiercely it seemed they'd been partners for years.

By the time Yatsuhashi and Velvet loaded the last of the stockpile into the Bullhead, Tai and Coco had all but recaptured the courtyard. He cast a glance at his impromptu partner, still wearing that cocky smirk. When she tipped down her shades to wink at him, he started having some distinctly uncomfortable thoughts.

Well, uncomfortable in hindsight. Not right then. Right then, the thoughts were very… pleasant.

When they exfiltrated in the Bullhead, Tai pulled Coco aboard. He held her hand a few moments too long once she was inside the ship. She didn't seem to mind. She squeezed his fingers tight in the few moments he'd taken her hand in his own. It could've simply been exhilaration, or his own awkward motion that kept her in his grasp for so long, but the result was the same. He may have pulled Coco aboard, but she was the one with the hold on him.

Tai had been out of the game a long time, but it seemed some of the signs hadn't changed. When he released her hand and their eyes met again, the look she cast his way conveyed her intent.

Tai's responsibilities seemed very distant then. Those beautiful brown eyes seemed very close. And very inviting.

* * *

Tai didn't lie to Oobleck when he said he had to leave. He just didn't bother correcting him when Oobleck concluded Tai was returning home to his daughter. While the rest of Team CFVY helped unload the food and found a new place to store it at the relief center, their leader excused herself to get a few hours rest at her apartment in town.

They left separately but met up along the way, Coco leading him by the hand. They could scarcely manage to stay apart, and had no need to be discreet on the largely empty streets. Their hands wandered, exploring one another, though they managed to exercise a degree of restraint before they made it to Coco's place.

Once inside, however…

Tai couldn't recall ever seeing Coco without her beret. She'd worn it –or one like it- every day at Signal. It was her style, and she wore it well. Without it, however, her dark hair framed her face well, with long brown locks and a long stripe of caramel. Her eyes were even darker than her sunglasses, but somehow those pools of dark brown were astonishingly bright from Tai's perspective.

She was far more aggressive than Tai. She initiated almost all of it, kissing him fiercely, pulling off his clothing. Somewhere in the back of his mind Tai recalled when she'd been his student, and how two years earlier, this thought would never have crossed his mind.

Then he looked into those eyes again, and she cast him a mischievous smile. And then the only thought on his mind was the beautiful girl in front of him. He had no more reason to be timid. He had no more doubts.

Tai hoisted Coco up by her waist and carried her to her bed, pressing her down into the soft sheets and kissing her with the strength of a much younger man. She'd brought the fire out of him again; the least he could do was let her experience its warmth.

Coco seemed pleased that he'd finally taken the initiative. She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him close.

* * *

They rested together a few hours, just lying in bed and talking, explaining their respective scars and tattoos, then talking a bit about what happened and what it meant. It was a pretty big step they'd just taken, and they had to decide where it was all going, if they should slow down, or stop, or whether there was something more to it than what they'd already done.

"I'm not expecting anything of you," Coco assured him. "I just wanted to do this, so I did. If this is where we stop, at least I had a good night. If not… maybe I can have more like it."

Tai thought about it. He'd definitely be open to doing this more often, but then his thoughts turned back to Yang. She needed him right now. He couldn't just leave her and Patch so he could spend his time playing around with a nineteen year old. But whenever he looked at Coco's eyes, whenever she smiled at him… staying with her was the _only_ thing he wanted.

He tried not to let that thought bother him. It was good to feel so passionate, but he couldn't let this girl consume him completely. Not when there was another girl whose love mattered more… and would _always_ matter more.

"I do want to talk more about this," Tai told her. "But right now I have to get home. I need to see my daughter."

Coco seemed to accept that, reaching over to find Tai's Scroll. She typed in her number, then handed it to him. "Call me, okay?"

Tai nodded, mumbling that he would. Coco kissed his cheek then slid out of bed, draping herself in the fine satin sheets as she wandered away. Tai couldn't help but watch her go, entranced, only able to look down at his Scroll again once she'd left the room.

Yang hadn't messaged him. Apparently it hadn't bothered her that he was overdue. He could linger here a while longer, with Coco…

Tai shook his head and put the thought from his mind. He had to get back to his daughter. She came first. Always.

* * *

Tai was relieved to find Yang out collecting the mail when he returned to the island. It was the first time he'd seen her leave the house since she'd been home, and it was good to see her up and about. He rushed over to give Yang a big hug. She pushed him away as best she could with her left hand, but that only encouraged her Dad to hug her tighter.

Once he settled back in, once he was sure Yang was okay, even if she was slow in her recovery, his thoughts turned to across the bay back to Vale, and the girl he'd left on the other side of the waves. He wondered where she was and what she was up to.

He hadn't expected to ever feel like this again… to _long_ for someone else, and miss sharing their bed. It was a scary thought, because the last time he'd had to give that up, Tai had shut down, because the pain had been unbearable.

He could stop right there, and consign his trip to memory. He could tell Coco to forget about him, and find her happiness elsewhere, because he'd never be around enough to be a good… whatever she considered him to be. A single dad would have hangups, and Coco shouldn't waste her youth waiting for a middle-aged man to find time to fit her in.

Instead all he could think of was how soon he could get back to Vale and see her again. The sight of her leaving the bedroom, draped in satin… that image burned into his brain in a way a thousand words never could. It may well have been best for Coco if he put a stop to this, but that wasn't what sounded best to him at the moment.

Her presence infused so much life in him that Tai couldn't bear to give it up. More than even his own daughter's health and safety, he coveted those eyes and that smile. What had once been a priority second to his daughter was now a desire that tasted too sweet for him to dwell on any other flavor of thought. What had once been a certainty to him now felt like a distant obligation, something he could forget for a while and get lost in those beautiful brown eyes.

It was a damning thought. But it wasn't one he could help.

* * *

Tai made several trips back to Vale in the passing weeks, always leaving the island for a day or two, going on a mission and helping to broaden the Safe Zone or secure supplies from a Grimm-infested area. And immediately after completing them, instead of catching up with his old friends, he'd make his excuses to leave and find his way back to Coco's apartment, where they found increasingly inventive ways to enjoy each other's company.

During the days in Patch with Yang, Tai longed to be away, back with his lover and happy. Spending time with his daughter became more burden than joy, and when he was away from Coco he started to feel incomplete. It reminded him of how he'd felt in his youth, with Raven, then with Summer, when he fell so hard he became dependent on his love to provide him his happiness.

It was a scary thought. It wasn't just fun he was having now. His feelings –at the least- were starting to get serious. He didn't know how Coco felt, or exactly what she wanted from him, but Tai was thinking about where it was all going.

She was young. He didn't want to pressure her with any serious talk. And he didn't really want to do much talking when he was with her anyway.

He wondered what his girls would think. Tai wasn't any good at keeping secrets from them, but he hadn't told Yang the real reason he'd made so many trips to Vale. He hoped she simply thought he was trying to help people in need, and not… this.

Tai wondered how long it'd be before he told Yang. Or what he'd tell Ruby when he finally got to see her again. But he spent less time thinking about them than about those eyes and that smile. He didn't enjoy feeling that way, but he did.

Tai stepped out to get firewood for the night, leaving his Scroll to charge, casting a smile at the latest text Coco sent him before heading out the door.

* * *

That brought Yang to the end of the tale. Her dad just looked ahead, waiting to see how she'd taken it all.

It was a strange thought that Yang hadn't become _truly_ uncomfortable until her dad mentioned the wives he'd had before. In some ways, Yang wished he'd just been playing around and the relationship wasn't serious. It'd be easier for her to understand. She'd have preferred her dad was stringing Coco along, having fun and never intending to commit to anything more. She'd rather he just be on the prowl than think someone she loved was trying to find happiness and companionship.

Yang had never thought her dad would date again; it just never seemed to be on his mind. Yang vaguely recalled Summer telling her how her dad had caught girl's eyes in his youth, but he'd always been such a dork in the time Yang knew him that it seemed a very _distant_ time. And now it had proven to be true.

Did she disapprove? Did she want to tell him to stop?

And Coco… what was Yang to make of her? She'd always been cool and popular, but Yang had no idea her tastes skewed older. If things between Coco and Tai ever got serious, she might become involved not just in her dad's life, but Yang's and Ruby's too. What would that make them? Where would it all lead?

"I… I need to think about this," Yang managed to say.

"Yeah," was the only reply Tai could muster.

Yang headed up to her room, casting a glance back down at Tai as he picked up his Scroll, rereading the messages from Coco.

She was angry. Angry at a friend because that friend was making her father happy.

She hated that feeling. But apparently not enough to stop feeling that way.

Yang didn't want to tell her dad to stop. She didn't want to be the one responsible for putting a damper on his happiness. But she suddenly felt very possessive of him, and the thought of this woman –this _girl_ \- stealing him away infused in her a deep and potent anger.

Yang wouldn't tell him to stop. She'd have to convey the message some other way.

But he _would_ stop. He'd realize this wasn't the way his life would go.

And Coco would turn her eye elsewhere, if she knew where else to look.


	2. I Need You

**Chapter Two: I Need You**

Coco's teammates found out in course. Velvet and Fox knew almost immediately, their enhanced senses revealing Coco's actions. Yatsuhashi was a bit slower on the uptake, having no aptitude for romantic relationships or any interest in trying to filter out whatever secrets Coco might want to keep. Still, he caught on when Velvet and Coco started talking about it openly, though the only perspective he offered was a word of congratulations.

Coco had wondered if they'd disapprove, but they all seemed happy for her. It was certainly an… _unconventional_ relationship, but for Coco there had been no other kind. It seemed all the guys in second year at Beacon had already paired off with their female teammates, almost uniformly so, as though it was some sort of inevitability. It only made sense; they were stuck together in tight quarters and endured stressful situations so frequently and spent time away from campus with only their teammates for company, that maybe it was unavoidable they should end up together. Team CFVY, however…

Coco might've considered it once, in the beginning, because both Fox and Yatsuhashi were great guys. Now the thought seemed very strange to her; she thought of them more as family than potential suitors. Both had been her partners in battle at one time or another, and she trusted them with everything. Their bond was close, but romantic? Not from her. Not from Yatsuhashi, who was always more interested in training than women. And Fox… well, he had his history. And more immediately…

Coco looked over at Velvet and Fox sitting together in one of the relief center cots. It must've been an uncomfortably small space, but Velvet didn't seem to mind, simply resting against Fox, her head pressed to his shoulder. Velvet would only be further proof of Coco's suspicion about teammates ending up with one another, but she was more exception than rule: Velvet had been slated to join the first years before being approved specifically for advanced placement by Ozpin, to compensate for a freshman class heavy by one, courtesy of _another_ advanced placement from Signal Academy, Ruby Rose. Tai's youngest.

Velvet was dating someone only a year older than herself. Coco's example was a little more extreme, given she was barely a year older than Tai's eldest daughter. Coco was not in any way eager to mention any of this to either of Tai's daughters. She was actually grateful the CCT was down, or Velvet might've blurted all this out to Ruby by now, given how close they'd become. Short range texts were bad enough, really.

Coco thought she should prepare for that possibility. Things were becoming… well, maybe not serious, but consistent. Tai was making time to be with her, and she was beginning to anticipate his presence and plan her schedule with him in mind, and not merely her teammates and her efforts to help retake Beacon. She wasn't just seeing him for an enjoyable evening, but spending time with someone she cared for, and whose wishes and intentions mattered to her. And _that_ was a scary thought.

Coco had been in love before, but when she was a child, without truly understanding what her feelings meant or the weight of speaking the word aloud. Since coming to Beacon, she expected she might've met a few good guys, maybe found one or two she might like enough to get so far with. And Coco had certainly been popular with her classmates, but that hadn't translated into any sort of romantic interest. Maybe they were intimidated by her confidence, or -like everyone else- turning their eye inward to their own teammates. As a result, she found herself unaccustomed to the feelings she had now. She wasn't sure what they meant, or even what they truly were, because it was all uncharted territory for her.

It wasn't in her to hesitate. She would confidently swagger forward, no matter what lay before her. But this scared her more than any horde of Grimm. She could easily ask herself what was happening and where this was all going, but once she asked _him_ ….

Coco wanted to preserve what she had. She _really liked_ what she had. But time just kept marching on, and she'd eventually have to decide exactly what Taiyang was to her. Looking deep within herself, she wanted more than just to have fun. She wanted more than just an odd day or two of the week to spend with him and wondered what it might be like to see his home, or introduce him to her parents, or…

Or tell his daughters what was going on.

She had no experience with things ever becoming so serious. So _real_. But she _wanted_ things to be serious, and to take another step forward. It just seemed a much wider distance to cross than what Coco was used to.

Still, he'd be by soon, and with Tai beside her it'd be easier for Coco to focus her thoughts. All she had to do was be honest with her… lover? Boyfriend?

There was nothing easier than that.

Right?

* * *

Yang had to wait until she was certain her dad had left. She then waited another hour, just in case he'd forgotten anything and had to rush back. Spending time with Coco had frazzled his already haphazard and reckless thoughts further, so Taiyang was more disorganized than ever. Still, when he bounded out to head into Vale he left with enthusiasm and delight, with such energy Yang couldn't have hoped to match, even in better days.

She hadn't seen him like this since… since Summer. It should've made her happy.

The truth was she didn't know what to feel. So she was going to try and see it firsthand, to see if it could convince her to push her thoughts in a particular direction. She was going to find Coco, and ask her what Yang's father was to her.

Yang sent Tai a text mentioning she'd take Zwei for a walk into town. It'd make for a good alibi, and her dad was quick to text back he was glad she was up and about, while cautioning her not to push herself too hard.

He was just trying to be protective of her. But it sounded as though he was trying to caution a child, trying to reach down and take hold of her hand before she tried to cross the street.

There wasn't a hand there for him to grasp. And child or not, it was the woman in her that needed to see Coco Adel, and try to understand the hold a girl a year older than herself had on her father.

The walk to the docks wasn't too hard, even with Zwei back in the cottage. The ride over was even easier, as no one seemed interested in heading to Vale. The only others with her were a pair of Atlesian soldiers going back to the Safe Zone after… something. Maybe some shore leave, though Yang couldn't imagine why they wanted to go to Patch.

They were talking amongst themselves, and Yang briefly caught one staring. That wasn't so unusual: she expected every now and then someone would stare at her, and the curled knot in her jacket and the empty air beneath it. She wasn't quite used to that look, but it was getting easier.

Then she caught the words they were speaking. She heard them mention the Vytal Festival tournament, and a boy from Haven suffering a leg injury.

It was a deception, and her friends and family believed Yang when she called it such. But to the world at large, it was an inciting incident that precipitated the Grimm attacking the kingdom. Yang was sure some of them –even some of them who should know better- blamed her, at least in part, for what happened to Beacon.

Her breathing was a little heavier. She needed to calm herself and not dwell on it. She'd just started the trip and would need plenty of strength to bring herself to speak to Coco. She couldn't be brought down by just a few words of gossip.

Yang tried to tune the soldiers out and focus on her objective. Vale wasn't so far now…

* * *

It was a rare sight, to see Glynda join them for a scouting mission. Usually she remained cooped up at the relief center, coordinating the various hunters and volunteers trying to reclaim pieces of Vale from the Grimm. Apparently, for a change, she'd decided to join Team CFVY and supervise them. Maybe she just needed to get back into the field.

Or maybe she had something else in mind. When disembarking from the Bullhead, Glynda took Coco by the arm for a moment, deliberately slowing their pace as Coco's teammates moved ahead. Once she was certain neither Fox nor Velvet could overhear, Glynda inquired: "Is it true?"

Coco suspected she knew where this was leading, but played coy. "Is what true?"

"Taiyang Xiao Long," was Glynda's flat reply. "Is it true?"

Coco played it cool. "Word travels fast." She was honestly surprised it had taken Glynda a few weeks to notice. Presumably it was harder to keep an eye on all her students when they didn't have an academy campus to house them in and one of them could go to her apartment in the city at any time.

Glynda just stared at Coco. She seemed to be awaiting more information. "And?" Coco asked.

"And I must say I'm surprised at you," Glynda remarked, gently prodding them both along in a slow trot, further into the abandoned streets outside the Safe Zone. "I thought you might be interested in… something social, but of all the people you could be seeing…"

"You disapprove," Coco suggested.

"I am concerned," Glynda gently offered.

Coco knew the undercurrent. Still, she kept up the pretense of being polite. "Well, I appreciate you looking out for me, Professor, I really do. But you shouldn't be worried about what I do where it's safe."

"I can't help it," Glynda replied. "There are only five of my students left in Vale, and every day they try and hold the city together by patching little pieces of it back to the whole. I know you can handle yourself out here; the only problems out here are the ones we trained you to fight. It's what goes on behind the lines I worry about, because I know you have so much of your life out in front of you, and don't want you to think this is all there ever is or ever will be."

"You saying I need to broaden my horizons?" Coco snarked. "I thought that's what I _was_ doing."

"I'm saying you may not be spoiled for choice, but you do have plenty of time," Glynda explained. "I'd like you to see more of this world before you decide to stay in a single part of it forever."

Her words may have been the kind suggestions of a mentor, but they belied Glynda's quiet disappointment. Coco wasn't sure what exactly to make of it. Right then, the veiled undercurrent Glynda was casting Coco's way was proving quite irritating. Right then, Coco was becoming quite angry at all the little barbs Glynda had tossed in _and_ the ones she'd doubtlessly left unsaid.

Coco kept walking to catch up with her teammates, trying not to let the words bother her. She knew eventually someone would disapprove of her relationship, for whatever reason they decided on. Not everyone would be as accepting as her teammates. The refusal to accept what she and Tai had- that was a flaw of the onlooker, not either of them. That was the action of someone unwilling to let people be happy.

Coco didn't speculate on exactly what prompted this response from Glynda, but it was impossible not to be curious. If she knew, did the other teachers? Tai was ostensibly in Vale to spend time with his old friends and help them with the relief effort. Had he told Port or Oobleck? Or had one of her teammates let this slip to Glynda instead?

She couldn't let herself dwell on this. It may have made for interesting gossip, but Coco _really_ didn't want there to be any drama. She wasn't in school anymore.

Was that what Glynda had meant?

After all, if they did succeed in their efforts that _was_ what Coco intended to do. Even if they managed to clear the Grimm out of Beacon, it'd take a long time to repair the school; probably years. But she'd still go back and finish her education, so she could truly become a huntress, and not occupy her current limbo where she may have had talent and training, but no title the rest of the world would recognize. All but the fourth years were in that same boat, with all their dreams put on hold.

Maybe that was what Glynda meant: that Coco's time in this limbo would come to an end, and she'd go back to school. It'd be difficult to keep dating Tai, who'd eventually go back to teaching at Signal while Coco was sequestered at Beacon. It may have been years away, but their relationship could very well have an end date neither of them had chosen or planned for.

One more thing she had to talk to him about… once she managed to stop being so angry at Glynda for bringing it up.

* * *

Yang managed the trip over the water well enough. Now there was the hard part.

Vale was sparsely populated now -even in the condensed space of the Safe Zone- but it _was_ still populated, and just as the Atlesian soldiers had, more than one person she passed by would stare at her and murmur.

They weren't staring at her wound. They weren't reminding her of her loss, or how self-conscious she felt after being maimed. No, they were always talking about the tournament, and the poor boy _Yang_ had maimed.

He was a criminal who aided and abetted the mastermind of the attack. He had his friend Emerald screw up Yang's senses and deceived her into believing Mercury attacked her. And now it seemed the people of Vale thought he was just a victim, rather than a villain.

 _Yang_ was their villain. Yang was the one whose actions led the Grimm into their homes. It may have been a lie, but it seemed months later people still believed it rather than believe the girl who'd defended their kingdom had been framed.

Yang tried to rationalize it as simple resentment. She tried to be understanding of their plight. Those who hadn't fled were stuck in a kingdom with too few resources and without anything resembling a proper defense; just a few soldiers from another kingdom and a handful of hunters and students to guard against a massive infestation of Grimm only a few miles away. Winter left them cold and starving, and there was no real help in sight, with the other kingdoms mostly leaving Vale to fend for itself. She understood why they might want to look outward and blame someone for all that they'd lost.

Their quiet whispering about her hurt worse than any cold winds or pangs of hunger. For Yang, each person she passed that reminded her of the tournament made each step that much heavier and the distance seem that much farther.

She had to concentrate on her objective. She was here to talk to Coco, and to make sense of this. Yang was here not only to better comprehend the situation, but to find the best way for her dad to be happy, so he wouldn't spend all his time trying to protect Yang from the harshness of the world.

And at the moment, that harshness was starting to wear her down.

* * *

Tai found Coco and her teammates at the relief center cafeteria after they'd finished their scouting mission. He played his part of the bumbling dad, falling over himself to try and be cool in front of Coco's friends and looking the damn fool. Coco played her part too, pretending to be amused by his antics and pitying of his obvious deficiency. But behind her trademark shades, Tai saw a wavering in those beautiful brown eyes.

"What is it?" Tai asked once Coco's teammates politely (and deliberately) excused themselves.

Before Coco could answer, Glynda Goodwitch chimed in: "Tai, a word?"

Tai glanced back at Coco, but quickly composed himself, burying any sign of affection or concern, pretending he was just chatting with his old student. He headed away from Coco and found Glynda sitting at one of the tables, gesturing for Tai to sit across from her.

"Long time," Tai greeted, sitting across from her, very deliberately pushing himself far back on the plastic seat, in case he'd need to make an abrupt exit.

Glynda had apparently been in the process of drinking something, but had set her cup aside and focused all her attention on Tai. "It has. You've made all these trips into Vale and haven't bothered to check in?"

"Barty and Peter told me how busy you've been," Tai replied, responding a little too quickly with his ready-made excuse. "You're pretty much holding this thing together by yourself, aren't you?"

Glynda tilted her head towards Coco, still standing a few feet away and determinedly avoiding Glynda's gaze, staring down at her Scroll. "My students have been a great help. Team CFVY has been performing exceptionally."

"I'm not surprised," Tai just went along with the conversation, trying to find the opportunity to extricate himself. "Coco was one of my best students."

"Yes, I recall," Glynda nodded. "When she applied to study at Beacon, you were one of the instructors who recommended her. Do you remember?"

It honestly hadn't passed Tai's mind at all. He'd pretty much recommended every student who ever showed promise to Ozpin; he knew how strapped they really were in defending the kingdom and sent every talent he could Beacon's way. "Nah, I don't. She mention it to you?"

"She's quite fond of you," Glynda observed.

"Well, I'm glad I made an impression," Tai said with the best smile he could fake.

Glynda nodded, before abruptly changing the subject. "How are your daughters?"

 _That_ at least Tai could talk about all day. "Yang's doing better. She's getting stronger every day. And Ruby… well…"

Glynda nodded. "I know. I wish I had something to tell you, but we haven't heard anything here either."

Tai tried to appreciate the courtesy she was showing. It was far preferable to her usual frosty formality. "Thanks."

Glynda glanced past Tai at Coco. While he was distracted talking about his daughters, Glynda had achieved the desired end. Coco finally met her eye, and even those stylish sunglasses couldn't conceal the bitter anger projected Glynda's way.

"I'll leave you to catch up," Glynda told him, collecting her drink and standing up from the table. "If ever I have a day free, please let me know if I can join you three at whatever dive you… hang out in."

"Sure," Tai agreed, barely able to conceal his relief as Glynda headed away. He turned around to glance at Coco, and was taken aback by the angry look she was projecting. Normally when he saw those beautiful brown eyes, Tai had all he needed. Seeing them angry hurt in a way he couldn't fully explain, or even comprehend.

Tai stood up and walked over, speaking loudly enough for Glynda to overhear: "So, you know a place we can grab a coffee?"

Coco was slow to reply, but eventually put on the show she needed to. "Are you going to make that joke _every_ time?"

"Only until it stops getting a rise out of you," Tai promised.

Coco nodded, taking hold of Tai's arm and pulling him along with uncharacteristic haste. "Come on. I know a good place that's still open."

Glynda cast a glance back at Coco, and the tight grip she had on Tai's arm. Their eyes met again, Glynda pushing her spectacles a little further up along her nose.

The hate Coco sent back her way… Glynda had achieved her aim. Now all that was left was for Coco to behave like a young woman, compromised by emotion without the experience needed to temper her words and refine her judgment.

Now there was only to let nature take its course.

* * *

Once out on the streets on their way to Coco's apartment, she finally made her opinions clear. "Glynda knows. She's been pestering me about it all day."

"She didn't say it outright, but I was getting that sense," Tai dryly acknowledged.

"She's not happy," Coco bitterly murmured. "I… well, I didn't know if she'd _approve_ exactly, but I thought if she ever found out about us she'd… I don't know, encourage me to be happy or something. I don't get what her deal is."

"You must've known not everyone would be happy about us," Tai gently suggested. "Vale's a pretty open-minded place, but not everyone just accepts everyone else."

Coco thought back on the mistreatment Velvet suffered, and how she eventually had to step in and hand Cardin Winchester his ass and remind him to behave like a decent human being. Even now, after Velvet did more than her share to help defend Beacon, people were wary of her just because she had a cute set of ears atop her head. "I know," Coco agreed. "I just didn't think it'd come from her."

"I know what you mean," Tai nodded. "Yang didn't take it all that well either."

"Yang?" Coco repeated. "Tai, _Yang knows_?" When he simply nodded, she snapped: "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm telling you," Tai replied. "I wanted to tell you in person, not over a Scroll. She found out a few days ago, and… well, she didn't tell me to stop, she didn't try and make me stay at home when I told her I was coming to visit. But I know my girl. I know this is bothering her.

"And it probably would've been easier if I'd just told her right away," Tai continued. "If I hadn't had so much fun sneaking around like a teenager, if I hadn't tried to keep it secret…"

 _Like a teenager_.

Like Coco.

Coco shook her head, trying not to dwell on the thought. "And what are you going to do about her?"

"Just listen when she talks," Tai answered. "Just be there when she needs me. Just be a Dad when she needs me to be a Dad."

It was a sweet sentiment. It was hard for Coco to dislike him when he showed such sincerity. But it was also a reminder that he had that responsibility to attend to, and a life waiting for him back on his island home with his family. A life _away_ from Coco.

Glynda spoke of a world for Coco to experience, of a life that remained for her to explore in her youth. Glynda may not have said it outright, but she seemed to be warning Coco away from something as domestic, something as stable and grounded as the life Tai would lead. If Coco hadn't invited him to talk, he'd probably do nothing else but live that life, as the reliable father, so nice and sincere as to be boring.

It was a terrible thought, that Coco might've taken this man away from someone who loved him and depended on him. But right now, Coco wanted more than anything for Glynda to be wrong and for her own feelings to be every bit as genuine as Tai's words.

She stopped walking, turning to move over and embrace Tai, right there in the street, pulling his head down to kiss him fiercely, indifferent to anyone who may have been watching. Coco didn't care who saw them. She didn't care what they thought.

At first Tai was a bit taken aback by Coco's display of… _passion_. He'd seen it before, but not out in the open like this. He broke the kiss, eyeing her curiously for a moment before he coyly inquired: "We done talking?"

Coco nodded, leaning in close, softly breathing in his ear and whispering: "I need you."

Tai complied with her request, inclining his head a bit and kissing her with the same fervor, slowly guiding them back towards Coco's apartment, nearly stumbling over her as they tried to maneuver in the midst of their embrace.

Coco didn't want to think about the future waiting for them, when they might be apart. Coco didn't want to think about the daughters Tai had to go home to and protect. Coco didn't want to think about what Glynda said, and the looks she'd sent their way. Coco wanted _this_ and _only this_ moment, and her lover, and their embrace.

The future was so far off. What she felt _now_ was every bit as real as the inevitable passage of time. What she had was worth holding on to, no matter what anyone else thought.

* * *

Yang could see the relief center in the distance, beside the old Atlas military barracks. She was near where she needed to be. She just had to take a few more steps.

Those steps were so heavy now. The whispers… even with no one around, Yang could still hear them. Even without another soul in sight, Yang could still feel their eyes on her back. She felt their judgment, and it weighed her down.

Yang stumbled a little on the pavement. It hadn't been uneven, but still she'd lost her footing. Her body was feeling heavy, and her heart was racing. She felt as though she was being compressed on all sides, even out in this empty street and in open air.

 _I_ _ **want**_ _to believe you._

No, not now. Not when she was so close.

 _Blake, where are you?!_

 _No… please…_

She reached her hand up to her chest, trying to keep pace with her heartbeats and control her breathing. The street before her may have seemed empty a moment earlier, but now she saw him standing over Blake, holding his blade in its sheath.

Yang tried to close her eyes. That only succeeded in making the image more vivid. Now she recalled the smell of smoke from the fires in the ruins. She remembered the sight of Blake's blood from where the White Fang's leader had stabbed her in her abdomen.

She was in Vale for her dad. She'd come to talk to Coco. She was stronger than this. She _had to be_ stronger than this.

Yang felt the pain in her right arm. She tried to clench a fist that wasn't there…

Her breathing was so haggard now. She was having trouble standing up, supporting her own weight…

Yang stumbled again, off the street into an alley. She crashed against the wall, landing hard on the pavement. Her heart was racing, her head still spinning. She reached frantically for her Scroll, trying to look at the list of contacts.

Blake.

Coco.

 _ **Dad**_.

She hated asking for his help. She felt like a child now, crying out for her daddy because she'd scraped her knee.

She charged at Adam Taurus, swinging her fist in a wide arc. She heard the sound of metal as he unsheathed his sword.

Yang typed as best she could, frantic. _Dad, please call me._

 _I'm in Vale._

 _It's happening again._

 _I need you._

* * *

Tai heard his Scroll beeping at him somewhere on the floor with the rest of his discarded items. He briefly wondered who'd be trying to get his attention now.

Then he looked back at Coco's brown eyes and remembered the moment he was in. And knew he didn't want to be distracted. He wanted to think of nothing else.

Tai leaned in close to kiss his lover, giving himself over to her and her embrace.

* * *

Yang wasn't sure how much time passed as she looked down at the screen of her Scroll, waiting –hoping- for a reply. Her heart was still racing, her hand still trembling. She hadn't had an attack like this since her dad brought her home to Patch. No matter how vivid her nightmares had been, at least they'd been brief. At least they hadn't sustained themselves like this.

She was exhausted, even though all she'd done was take a short walk. She was feeling drowsy, and that feeling only got worse the longer she stared at her chain of texts on the Scroll, with no response from her dad.

He was busy. And Yang suspected she knew why.

Usually when she sent her dad a message, even at odd hours, even out of the blue, he'd get back to her quickly and provide Yang whatever reassurance she needed, even if he insisted on attaching a bad joke. Now that he was silent, the trembling was getting worse.

She was alone.

Just as she'd been when Blake left her side, when she tried to squeeze a hand that wasn't there.

Just as she'd been when Ruby left for Mistral, without stopping to say goodbye.

Just as she was now, while her dad went to be with Coco.

Her vision was hazy. She was losing her grip on the Scroll and feeling weaker, eventually hearing the device clatter to the ground when it slipped through her shaking fingers and Yang slumped back against the alley wall.

She faintly heard footsteps. She saw for the briefest moment a pair of familiar-looking boots.

"Well, well," boomed a voice, somewhere through the haze obscuring Yang's thoughts and vision. "Wasn't expecting to see you again."

Yang slid down the wall and landed hard on the ground.


	3. I'm Sorry

**Chapter Three: I'm Sorry**

When Yang finally stirred, she woke looking at an unfamiliar, dusty metal floor, while she lay in a small and uncomfortable metal cot seated low to the ground. When she sat up she took in the room around her, where dozens of other cots lined the floor, some lined with blankets and pillows, others with personal affects like books and bags, and others empty. Yang glanced frantically around in search of signs of life, or alternatively, signs of danger.

A door creaked in the distance. Yang jumped to her feet and raised her arms, then rather awkwardly lowered her right and kept her left fist up and defensively in front of her. She heard footsteps drawing nearer, and saw a broad-shouldered figure emerge into the room with her.

"You looking for a fight, blondie?" he inquired. "That isn't why I brought you here."

Yang focused her attention on him, narrowing her eyes as he came into focus. "Cardin?"

Cardin Winchester stepped clearly into view. "Miss me?"

Yang slowly lowered her arm, relaxing her guard ever so slightly. "Not even a little."

Cardin shrugged, casting a smirk. "I see you're feeling better."

Yang glanced around the room, at the cots, then finally back to Cardin. "Where am I? What is this place?"

"This is the relief center," Cardin answered. "We took the old Atlas barracks setups and cobbled them all together for the Vale refugees. I was doing border rounds when I found you falling over yourself in that alley."

"Border rounds?" Yang repeated. "Wait, what are you even doing here?"

"I've been here since Beacon fell," Cardin explained. "I've been trying to help Goodwitch retake the campus grounds. It… hasn't gone very smoothly."

It was starting to come back to Yang now. She'd encouraged her dad to go into Vale and meet up with his friends, and he'd come to help Professor Goodwitch while he was in town. That's how he'd reconnected with Coco, who'd remained in Vale with her team. Apparently Cardin stuck around too, and was pursuing a nobler goal than she'd seen from him during their time together at Beacon.

But it was odd that his little buddies weren't flanking him… "Where's your team?" Yang asked.

"Gone," Cardin bluntly replied. At Yang's look, Cardin quickly clarified: "I don't know. They left. They fled when the Grimm broke through. Haven't heard from them in months."

"They… left?" Yang felt like she was spending a lot of time repeating him.

"Yeah," was Cardin's simple reply. "They weren't the only ones. Most of the students fled before Beacon fell. There were only a few of us trying to fight off the Grimm and the White Fang."

That Yang could recall. If it hadn't been for the exchange students from Haven and Shade and Atlas fighting alongside them, only three teams from Beacon would've answered the call. Including Team CFVY, where Yang was directing her thoughts now.

"I came to see Coco," Yang said. "Is she here?"

Cardin scoffed. "She's got her own place downtown. She only stays here if she's going on a mission."

"What about her teammates?" Yang asked.

"Might be," Cardin lazily suggested. "Bumped into Velvet earlier. You should try asking Goodwitch in her office."

It was a starting point, at least. Yang nodded and stepped past him, out of this unfamiliar cot-laden room and to the exterior, to the open air of Vale and the other structures scattered around. She took in a deep breath and glanced skyward, towards the remainder of Beacon tower in the distance. She hadn't seen it since the Vytal Festival; it looked so small now, like part of it had broken off.

 _No… please…_

 _Get away from her!_

Broken off…

Yang reached over to clutch her right arm, grasping empty, tied-off sleeve. She stood there right outside the door, her vision of Beacon tower replaced by the burning ruins of the cafeteria, and Adam Taurus standing over Blake with his blade pressed into her abdomen.

Cardin asked her something. To Yang's ear it sounded like crackling fire.

She'd had days like this. The moment would pass. She just had to wait for the scenario to play out.

She just had to see it happen again. She just had to relive the moment. She just had to feel the phantom pain again, and hear Blake feebly try to warn her before Adam struck. And before Blake left her at the docks…

Yang sat down just outside the door, reaching up her left arm to bury her head, shutting her eyes. She just had to ride the experience out, and not be overcome. She'd need a few minutes and she'd be okay.

Cardin was trying to speak to her. Yang wasn't there with him. She was lying on pavement, trying to find Blake's hand after it let go of her own…

It took a few moments for her to return to the present. Her breathing was heavy, her heart was racing, and her forehead was drenched in sweat. But slowly, gradually, she returned, her eyes still buried in the cloth of her jacket. She felt a hand reach down to her shoulder, and at once Yang turned, her eyes blazing red as she lifted her remaining fist and prepared to attack… only to stop herself mid-motion as she saw the familiar face of Velvet Scarlatina drawing back away from her in surprise.

"Velvet…" Yang whispered, lowering her fist, blinking, feeling tears well up in her eyes. She broke down again, and Velvet moved down to embrace her, holding her tight.

It helped. Not enough to bring her senses back to Yang, but enough to pull her back to the present… just having someone to hold her up. It was such a strange feeling for Yang, to need anyone's support, but she couldn't deny the reality of the moment at hand. It may have been strange to her to forget her pride, but right now, the support of a friend was proving much more effective in bringing her back to balance.

Yang wanted to ask Velvet about Coco and her dad, but she couldn't. Not yet. Not until she stopped recalling the moment. Not until she'd managed to stop crying.

* * *

Tai had rested a good few hours in Coco's bed. When he awoke and found her still asleep beside him, he'd opted to remain even longer, begging the sun for just another few moments of moonlight to spend with this woman and recall a feeling he'd once given up on ever experiencing again. It reminded him of better times… though that was a troubling thought on its own, for a number of reasons.

He didn't want to compare Coco to either of his wives, but Tai couldn't help but recollect the memory as he lay beside her like this. The feeling he had when she smiled at him his first day back in Vale… the way she chose to face a harsh and difficult life when she could've easily enjoyed the wealth and luxury her family left to her… there was so much more about Coco Adel he liked than just… _this_. And with Raven, Tai had followed a similar trajectory, where at first he was just entranced by her beauty and gradually came to admire the person she was, falling in love slowly but surely, one day after another.

And Summer, of course, who stepped in and pulled Tai up when he was at his lowest, restoring him to life in much the same way Coco had reenergized him by bringing him along on her mission. He hadn't for a moment expected to fall in love with his old team leader, but fell into it easily enough when she revealed _she_ was in love with _him_.

That was a dangerous word to think about. Neither he nor Coco had used it yet. It had taken him _years_ to say it to Summer and Raven, though he'd wanted to before he ever summoned the strength to. Today may have only been a few _weeks_ since he and Coco began… whatever their relationship was, but she had needed him to be there for her, admitting a vulnerability and looking to him as her emotional support. It was certainly a progression in their relationship. It was more than they had before.

It would've been so easy to stop thinking about all of this, to just enjoy the company of a beautiful woman and _not_ think. But he couldn't help it. Yesterday, things had changed. Before she'd become distracted Coco had intended to have a more serious talk rather than fall into this familiar pattern. Tai figured this to mean she wanted to move things forward. And him… well, Yang knew. That was probably the biggest step he needed to take. He needed his girls to approve.

Speaking of, someone had been trying to reach him, and it was almost certainly Yang. Tai reluctantly slid out of bed and found his cargo shorts on the ground, pulling out his Scroll and unlocking the device to read recent…

… missed messages…

Tai frantically scoured the room, collecting his clothes. He fumbled around, hastily dressing himself and staggering through the bedroom. He faintly heard Coco mumble: "What's going on…?"

He had no time for her now. Coco wasn't even on his mind. Once he was halfway dressed he was already on his way out the door. She tried to call after him, but her voice was drowned out by the sound of wood slamming the frame. Coco groggily lifted herself, looking down at the empty space beside her.

She'd spent most of her life sleeping alone. Even though Tai had barely been gone a few seconds, she was surprised at how cold it felt beneath those satin sheets without him.

* * *

Velvet helped Yang back inside and seated her on one of the available cots, still holding onto the blonde bruiser and resting beside her. It took Yang a few minutes to finally stop sobbing and bring herself back together, looking at the Faunus girl supporting her. It was embarrassing to be seen like this; especially by someone she may have liked but had been far closer to Ruby than herself. Still, Yang didn't want to appear ungrateful, so after a few seconds of awkward silence and slowly composing herself, Yang remarked: "Thanks."

Velvet nodded, slowly releasing her grip on Yang. "Are you feeling better?"

"A little," Yang confirmed. "I… I was just overwhelmed. I was so out of it I didn't even see where you came from."

"Cardin told me you were here and having an issue," Velvet explained. "He thought I might be better able to help you."

Yang was surprised Velvet and Cardin were on speaking terms. How times had changed… "When did that happen?"

Velvet followed her meaning. "A few weeks after Beacon fell. After his teammates abandoned him, and he was stuck on his own, he eventually found me and said he was sorry for the way he behaved in the first year. It took me a while to understand, but eventually I realized he was one of the only people who stuck around to help defend Beacon, and he wasn't as bad as I first thought."

 _Abandoned_.

That word resounded with Yang far more than the rest of Velvet's nice speech. Whatever changes the loss of his team had prompted in Cardin, Yang's attention was solely on the prospect of being abandoned. On what it would feel like to be left behind, with no one to turn to when trying to process that feeling.

Weiss was gone. At least she had the excuse her father had come to take her away from a dangerous situation.

Ruby had spent some time with her before leaving on her own mission. At least she had the excuse that Yang had been distant and unwilling to accept her offer of help.

Blake had disappeared when Beacon fell. Yang spent so much time trying to understand why she ran, and the wound of her departure still cropped up. It was Blake's voice she heard whenever she flashed back. It was the sight of Blake that kept Yang up at nights.

She wasn't going to get herself started on Raven. She may have been angry at the time when Summer died, but with the benefit of hindsight, she understood the realities of losing a huntress in the field. Qrow was never around. And now her father… of all the people she thought might leave, he never once crossed her mind. Until she went to Beacon, he'd been a constant presence in her life.

And he also completed the list. Now –whatever their reasons- _all_ of the truly important people in her life had abandoned her for one reason or another. The rational part of her mind assured her there were extenuating circumstances, there was some reason she would understand and respect. But in her fragile emotional state, all she thought was that there was something wrong with _her_ ; something that prompted others to eventually conclude they should leave her.

Yang had come to Vale and endured this recurring attack of memory for one reason. And now she had a renewed interest in speaking to the woman who not only captured her father's attention but now –by all appearances- had stolen him away from her.

Yang buried the pain she was feeling behind cold focus. It was too late to portray confidence to Velvet, but she would _not_ be an emotional wreck when the time came to talk to her team leader. "Where's Coco?"

* * *

Tai wasn't sure where to start looking. Initially he was looking down every street and alleyway as he ran around Vale in search of his daughter. Even in the dim early morning light he scoured every corner he passed by, looking for any sign of those blonde locks in the dark. She mentioned a couple different hangouts in messages to him, but most of them were hazy memories and long-deleted text messages. Tai eventually decided to enlist some help, perfectly willing to shoulder the humiliation of admitting his poor parenting if it meant he could find her while she was in such dire straits.

He made his way back to the relief center, trying to find someone he recognized amidst the displaced citizens and remaining Atlesian troops. Eventually he found Oobleck organizing supplies in a makeshift granary and went to his old friend. "Barty," Tai called, "I need your help."

"Yes, yes, I imagine so," Oobleck agreed. "Your daughter's here with us. She gave us quite the fright when Mr. Winchester brought her in."

Tai was so relieved to hear it he managed to put aside any animosity of some unfamiliar guy's name in relation to his daughter aside. "Is she all right?"

"Last I heard she was asleep," Oobleck answered, pointing towards an old Atlas barracks near the cafeteria. "Nurses looked her over and she seemed stable. Mr. Winchester and Miss Scarlatina have been checking on her throughout the night."

Tai thanked him and abruptly headed over, desperate to reach her. When he stepped into the barracks and found an assembly of cots, he immediately spotted Yang, speaking to Coco's teammate Velvet. He rushed over to her, calling out: "Yang!"

She looked up at him from her seated position and dully replied: "Hey, Dad."

Tai gently wedged himself past Velvet and pulled Yang into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry… I'msogladIfoundyouI'mhappyyou'reokaywhatareyouevendoinginValewhathappenedletmeknowifyouneedanything…"

Yang managed to decipher his rapid-fire delivery and replied. "I'm okay, Dad. Really. I just tried to push myself too hard. I was lucky that some of my friends managed to find me."

Tai desperately wanted to believe her, but he knew his daughter too well. He turned to Velvet and summoned as polite a tone as he could manage: "Would you excuse us a moment?"

Velvet nodded. "I'll just be outside for a minute." Tai was surprised at how slow she was to detach herself from Yang's side. He knew the Faunus girl was close with Ruby, but had never heard Yang mention her. Perhaps she was simply quick to protect people; perhaps she was curious about the man in Coco's life. Either way, it was agonizing waiting for her to step out and leave Tai with his daughter.

He didn't want to ask her, but he needed to know for certain how she was. No matter how much it would hurt to know, Tai needed to know what Yang was going through and how he could help. "How are you _really_ feeling?"

Yang looked up at him, her eyes glazed over. "I needed you and you weren't there. I never – _never_ \- thought that would happen."

"I know," Tai admitted. "I'm sorry. I… I just…"

What excuse could he offer? That he was more interested in staying with his girlfriend than helping his daughter when she was suffering a trauma? That he didn't get her text because he didn't want to leave her bed?

"I screwed up," Tai said simply.

He didn't try to offer any excuse. He didn't try to justify his actions. He just turned his attention back to her, trying to move past the pain he was feeling and focus on her. "Just tell me what you need; tell me how I can help. Do you need to get back home? Do you need any medicine? Should I try and get you a counselor?"

"I just need rest," Yang told him.

Another lie. Her hair was matted; she'd already slept on it. What she wanted, what she conveyed without ever saying it was that she wanted time away from him.

It hurt to think about, but Tai knew he deserved it. He nodded. "Okay. I'll come back and check on you a bit. Just feel better, sweetie."

He leaned in close and kissed her forehead. She sat stiff, not responding at all to his gesture of affection. He'd honestly have preferred if she'd been repulsed and dragged herself away rather than not responded at all.

Tai didn't want to just leave her alone. He wanted to sit at her bedside and listen, to let her vent her every frustration and suffer as he deserved to for wronging his daughter. Instead she sat still and quiet. There was nothing louder than that silence, nothing harsher than that dull and empty look in her eye.

Still, he did what she requested of him. Tai stepped past Velvet, who'd diligently remained just outside the barracks door. It gave him some sense of comfort to see this display of loyalty; at least Yang wasn't going to be completely alone.

He looked down at his Scroll. Coco had sent him a bunch of messages, trying to figure out what happened. He seemed spoiled for time to respond to her, but he couldn't bring himself to reply to her. He couldn't quite decide on how to explain what he'd done… and he _did_ owe her an explanation. Coco deserved to know what had happened, and he didn't want to think any of his strange actions were her fault. He simply couldn't manage to punch in those words.

As Tai aimlessly wandered between the buildings, he found his way towards the cafeteria, where he found Oobleck waiting with three cups of coffee. Two were clearly for Barty, but it seemed one was waiting for Tai.

"You look like you could use a drink," Oobleck told him. He, at least, had no difficulty forming the words he needed to deliver.

Tai gratefully accepted the cup and sat down with his old friend at one of the tables. Oobleck quickly downed the first cup –no doubt it'd been a few minutes since his last shot and his patience had been nil- but then obligingly slowed down and waited for Tai to join him so they could converse properly.

"I suspect things didn't quite go to plan," Oobleck gently suggested.

"You always had a keen grasp of the obvious, Barty," Tai deadpanned, turning his attention to the coffee, hoping the warmth and caffeine might mitigate some of his doubt. "I get it; she's a teenager, she doesn't want to be treated like a child. But I can't help it. I _know_ her. I'll _always_ know her. Just a few hours ago she told me she needed my help and now she doesn't want to speak to me. She's hurting and she won't let me in."

"Why was she in Vale at all?" Oobleck inquired.

Tai had speculated on that. He had one leading theory, but he didn't want to admit it. "She didn't say."

"Ah," Oobleck pushed up his glasses with his free hand, as he speculated. Tai could never recall Oobleck going so long without speaking. "Then I take it she did _not_ mention Miss Adel."

"You know?" Tai inquired, jumping straight to the point.

"Yes, of course," Oobleck answered. "Miss Adel has been my student for two years. She isn't one for keeping secrets. She may not have _told_ me, but she certainly made no effort to hide it."

"And you think that's why she's here?" Tai asked, carefully concealing his own thoughts on the matter.

"I can think of a great many reasons Miss Xiao Long is here," Oobleck replied. "Perhaps she's seeking closure with the trauma she experienced. Perhaps she wanted to reconnect with what friends she had left here. But the _most likely_ explanation is that she was concerned about her father."

"Concerned, right," Tai scoffed. "She wasn't happy with me. She probably thought she could… scare Coco off or something."

"She isn't the only one who disapproves of your actions," Oobleck noted.

"Oh, you too, Barty?" Tai snapped.

"No," Oobleck replied. "I do not presume to judge you. I won't offer you approval or disapproval. You are each adults, each able to make your own decisions. As is Miss Xiao Long."

"Barty, come on," Tai moaned, "I was just telling you-"

"That she is a teenager, yes," Oobleck confirmed. "But she left home to become a huntress. Just as Miss Adel did a year before. Whatever she came here to do, it seems what she needs most from you is to _let her do it_."

"She's _sick_ , Barty," Tai interjected, "whatever she wants to do, she's not ready to go out and try and be this… I don't even know what she's trying to be, but she's not ready for it. She needs time to heal. She needs to slow down and just-"

"Just accept things as they are?" Oobleck suggested. "Is that really the lesson you mean to convey? Is that the lesson you'd even give to your students; much less your daughter?"

"She was reckless," Tai argued.

"Were you any less so?" Oobleck inquired. "Even now, you're still as headstrong and stubborn as you ever were. Are you surprised your daughter followed your example?"

Oobleck may not have been offering judgment on Tai and Coco, but it seemed he had his opinions on _just_ Tai. "Okay, let's set aside for a moment that we disagree. What can I do right now to help my daughter and get her to talk to me?"

"Why do _you_ think she's here?" Oobleck coyly inquired.

Oobleck already knew the answer. He was just doing Tai the courtesy of letting him say it himself.

Tai didn't want to say it. He w _anted_ this to happen, but he wanted the circumstances to be different. He wanted to invite Coco into his house, after Yang had a few days to recompose herself, and after _he_ had a chance to both apologize to Coco for his departure and prepare her for the meeting. He didn't want his daughter and his… girlfriend to meet while one was coming back from an attack and another was confused and likely upset with him.

Before he had a chance to speak, the door to the cafeteria opened. Tai glanced behind him and saw Coco standing in the doorframe. She'd put on her usual attire, but quite _unusually_ for her, she appeared disheveled and sweaty, with her clincher out of alignment and her beret lopsided on her head, as though she'd thrown her clothes on in a haste. Tai cast an apologetic glance at Oobleck and took a long drink of his coffee before standing up to meet Coco's eye.

Normally he loved to look at those brown eyes. Now, seeing the combination of anger and concern there, he knew what awaited him would be much less pleasant than his usual time with Coco.

He gestured to the exterior. Coco was only too eager to take their talk outside, which couldn't be a good sign. Tai steeled himself and prepared to hash things out, hoping she'd understand and they could get on the same page before they addressed Yang.

Oobleck went to get himself another few cups of coffee. He suspected they'd need some time, and figured he should have the appropriate provisions and hunker down until the storm passed.

* * *

Coco had grace enough to wait until they were out of the earshot to vent at him. "You mind telling me what that was about?"

"Yang," Tai answered simply, looking everywhere but Coco's eyes. "She was trying to reach me when we… well, I screwed up and wasn't there when she had an attack. I had to get to her. I _know_ you get that."

"And you couldn't take five seconds to tell me that?" Coco demanded. "You couldn't just take a moment to explain why you had to leave? Or at least take the time to call me back when you found her?"

 _That_ Tai couldn't refute. It seemed he'd done nothing but screw up all day… "I'm sorry."

"Fine, good, that's a start," Coco agreed. "But why didn't you get back to me? Why didn't you just _say_ something?"

He wasn't feeling up to explaining himself. Coco deserved answers, but Tai didn't have any to offer. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry, sorry, can't you say something else?" Coco asked. "Damn it, Tai, just… just talk to me, please. Just tell me what happened."

He still couldn't meet her eye. "My girl needed me."

Coco was feeling increasingly agitated. What should've been a chivalrous demonstration by a good father irked her. What should've been an admirable act was making her angry, because it had taken Tai from her. She hated that feeling, and needed to find a way to put the onus of blame on him, but she couldn't simply lash out at him. She wasn't quite so angry as to forget the noble reasons for his act. "And she's okay now?"

Tai didn't want to put that issue on her; it was another piece of drama that he needed to deal with and not drag her into. He merely nodded.

"And what, coffee with Oobleck was higher up on your list of priorities than _just calling me back_?" Coco finally unleashed her fury, now that they were past Yang, at least for the moment.

"I'm sorry," Tai said again, staring at his feet.

Coco was becoming increasingly frustrated at hearing those words. The rational part of her understood their meaning, that he was trying to express his remorse and make amends, but it was still a very unsatisfying answer to hear, and she kept leaping to the worst possible conclusions: that she'd done something wrong and he'd been trying to get away from her, or that his seemingly noble act was just a convenient excuse to leave her behind.

"If you're going to break up with me," Coco finally asked, working through her anger and trying to be rational, "can you at least look me in the eye?"

Break up with her? What did that even mean? Were they 'together'?

Tai recognized the question; he'd heard other people ask it in his youth. He was sure it'd been flung around Beacon just as much in Coco's time as it had in his. But now…

Maybe he should break things off now, even if it meant Coco would hate him. He'd already seen how she could consume him so utterly as to forget what _should_ have been most important to him.

Tai tried to steady himself to say it. He prepared to tell her, sorry as he was, that he couldn't let things continue if this was the cost of staying with her. For that, he had to meet her eye. He owed her that much.

He couldn't. Because if he did…

But then, if he told her the reason he couldn't… if he took that step…

"No," Tai admitted. "Because when I look you in the eye, I want nothing more than to stay with you. _All the time_. When I look at you, when I feel the way I feel…" He cut himself off and focused. "I want that. I _want_ to be that man. But right now, my daughter _needs_ me to be someone else."

They were both silent for several seconds. Coco wanted to say more, but she couldn't form the words. She was taken aback, and for once, unable to make her voice heard. She was just as frozen as Tai had been.

"I'm sorry," Tai told her again, stepping past with his head pointed to the ground. He reoriented himself in the direction of the barracks, towards his daughter, hoping that just a few minutes away would at least give the _appearance_ of respecting her wish and that his return would just be her dad being overprotective, and not meekly whimpering away from the woman he…

He…

Tai couldn't even bring himself to _think_ it. There was no point. He wasn't going to take that step; he couldn't. Yang needed him, and even if Coco was willing to take him in spite of his faults, he had to be there for Yang. He would _never_ let himself fail her again.

Coco, meanwhile, stood watching him depart, unconsciously reaching a hand up towards her sunglasses, pushing them down along her nose. She wished he'd come back, she wished he'd turn around, she wished he'd just _look her in the eye_.

She was angry with him; so angry she lashed out. But angry because he was trying to be a good father, and in his haste to do so he'd been thoughtless. _That_ was the reason she accused him of trying to break things off with her?

Coco hadn't had a truly serious relationship before this. She had no experience with how they progressed, what the stages were, or how people recovered from fights and managed to work things out.

But she was pretty sure this was how they ended.

What he'd said… she'd never known Taiyang to lie. Which meant that he…

He hadn't said the word, but Coco understood the intent. And that hurt the worst of all, knowing that for a moment he'd wanted to take that step, no matter the difficulty they were facing at the time.

Coco pushed her sunglasses up again to cover her eyes. Just in case Tai turned around, just in case he had second thoughts. Just so he wouldn't be tempted.

Just so no one would notice her tears.


	4. Things Past

**Chapter Four: Things Past**

Coco loved her mother dearly, though as she got older, the sight of her mother doing nothing but remain at home became increasingly bizarre to her. Her father was a very wealthy man, so Coco's mother didn't _need_ to work, but she didn't seem to aspire to more than maintaining their home and looking after Coco's little brother and sister. Only later in life did she piece together why she played that role and why she had no wish to play any other; that her father had not married her for talent, or intellect, or personality, and certainly not for ambition.

She was ten years her husband's junior. That had never been of any significance to Coco in her youth, but as she got older she began to realize that her youth had been one of the reasons her father pursued her mother. More tellingly, a great many of her father's associates had a similar taste in women; young, beautiful, and little more than that.

Coco was blessed with her mother's beauty, with striking brown eyes and straight dark hair. She was showered with wealth by her father, who had no expectations of her but to behave respectably around others in their social circles. It wasn't the life Coco wished for herself, to be like her mother. She couldn't sit idle while there was such a vast world to explore and so many creatures in it that threatened those who couldn't afford to live behind high kingdom walls. When she told her parents she wanted to be a huntress, they were perplexed why she'd want to willingly endanger herself when she'd never have the need?

She told them it was because she had the ability to make a difference, and so she would. She told them that part of social responsibility was charity and good will, and devoting time and effort could always matter more than simply donating Lien. She told them that she wanted their name to stand for honor and service, and not just wealth and power.

She did _not_ tell them she wanted more than to be a trophy for someone to parade around on their arm.

* * *

Coco couldn't believe she allowed herself to leave her apartment with her clothing so disheveled. She'd been in such a hurry to chase after Tai that she hadn't even donned her beret properly. Her hair was a mess as a result, and she'd devoted time to getting herself cleaned up and presentable, but was facing more than one challenge in trying to accomplish that.

She couldn't go into the barracks while Yang was in there, so Coco had been working on her hair in the cafeteria. She kept missing with her brush or going over the same collection of strands, and as a result wasn't making any progress at all. This would not do- she was about to start her day and she was in no presentable state.

She was grateful for her sunglasses. At least she didn't have to compensate for the puffy redness of her eyes. She could keep that concealed well enough.

Coco stopped trying to fix her hair and went to adjust her clincher. Her hands were shaking so much she nearly tore the fabric trying to put it in place.

She had to calm herself. Had to keep all this at bay and put on a strong front. She wasn't playing anymore, she was coming in to help the Vale citizenry and be a huntress, at least in deed if not in name. Coco wouldn't mind if her teammates saw her vulnerable right now, but she didn't want anyone else to notice. She didn't want her professors to see, and she certainly didn't want _Glynda_ to see, and she didn't want Yang to even look her way in the state she was in.

And Tai… Coco wasn't sure what she wanted him to see from her. Part of her just didn't want to see him at all. Part of her wanted him to just come back and finish their talk, and pretend Coco's accusation never occurred. Part of her wanted him to do nothing more than look her in the eye and hold her gaze, for minutes, for _hours_ , until he was hers' and hers' alone. Since she couldn't decide which of those things she wanted most, Coco put her attention elsewhere.

Mission today. Help the people of Vale.

Tai and Yang would probably be around for a while. Once she finished the mission she'd head back to her apartment, maybe invite her teammates to hang out. She needed to do something that would let her take Tai off her mind.

The last thing she wanted was to be alone with her thoughts. That never ended well.

* * *

Even when Coco could return home every weekend –really, every _day_ if she wished- she felt isolated and alone on the tiny forested island of Patch. Not because the training was too difficult; because she was so much better off than many of the students at Signal that people warmed up to her because they wanted to be in her presence if she ever started throwing cash around. It was her own fault, really, for demonstrating her affluence with her pretty seasonal clothing and her tendency to keep up with the latest fashionable trend. Such affectations would be a luxury out in the field.

Most of the other students came from working class backgrounds, and wore the same combat attire day in and day out, so Coco's constantly shifting style made her stand out. She eventually toned things down a bit, maddening as it was to wear the same outfit twice, and hoped that some of the friendships she'd form afterwards could be genuine, rather than opportunistic.

The training she actually took to quite well. She wasn't a prodigy, but she was sincere in wanting her family name to bring a sense of honor, so she worked hard to impress. She learned the mechanical engineering needed to make a weapon that suited her, and then went the extra mile to refine her skill and compact her favored armament into a stylish handbag. She couldn't let go of _all_ her affectations in pursuit of becoming a huntress. She still wanted to be the same girl when she graduated Signal she had been when she entered, just a little more talented and a little more prepared.

Mr. Xiao Long had recommended her to Professor Ozpin at Beacon Academy. He said Coco was a skilled marksman despite her imprecise and unwieldy minigun, and had the drive to improve herself rather than be complacent and rest on her laurels. Apparently that impressed the Beacon headmaster, because she was accepted into the freshman class a few days after her teacher sent Ozpin the message.

She thanked the ditzy blonde teacher for his good word, and nice guy though he was, Coco never expected to see him again. She would be leaving behind quite a bit on Patch, but her teachers never crossed her mind. She'd miss a few friends not going on to become hunters like herself, or going to a different academy to study, but not the island or its inhabitants.

Coco didn't want to be haughty, but she had what she'd come for.

* * *

"Grounded?" Coco repeated, irritated.

"For now," Glynda confirmed. "I don't want to deploy Team CFVY when it's undermanned, and Miss Scarlatina is proving instrumental in Miss Xiao Long's recovery."

Coco tried not to think about what was going on there. "So? I can take Fox and Yatsu on mission; we've done it before."

"Against my better judgment," Glynda agreed. "But that was a special circumstance Professor Ozpin considered necessary for your education. I would have grounded you for the remainder of the semester."

"We're not in school anymore," Coco coolly reminded her. "People are counting on us to get supplies. Why shouldn't we go, even if it's riskier today than it was yesterday? Isn't that what we signed up for?"

"I do not feel Team CFVY in its current condition should be deployed," Glynda flatly replied. "I can see clearly you feel differently-"

"'Current condition meaning'… what?" Coco demanded.

"I mean that your attention is divided and your team is undermanned," Glynda explained. "And yes, the refugees _are_ depending on us to help them. But I would rather our supplies dwindle here by ordering you stand down today than I lose my students in the field."

"What a load of-"

"Listen to me," Glynda insisted. "I don't _expect_ anything to happen, nor do I think you are incapable of completing whatever supply run I would assign you. It's simply not worth the risk of loss or injury, when we lose so much less by standing your team down and letting you rest for _one day_."

"And is that your only reason?" Coco snapped.

"My greatest concern, at the moment, is the team leader isn't thinking clearly," Glynda answered matter-of-factly. "And given her track record, I thought it best not to push her too hard."

That could've easily meant a great many things. Coco honestly hoped it was a remark on her relationship with Tai, and not… not something else.

Coco was infuriated by Glynda, but she managed to keep herself calm and focus on the rational side of the argument. Normally, Coco would embrace a day off, even in the boring, sparsely-populated safe zone. Today she was so desperate for a distraction she'd take any bullhead into danger, just so she didn't have to think about Tai and Yang in the barracks across the way.

For that, she'd try and convince Glynda to put Fox and Yatsu in danger…

She remembered the rustling wind in the bullhead as they flew back, and Coco tried to offer Fox reassurances that he hadn't been at fault. She remembered the somber mood as four became three, and they spent most of the semester in isolation and grieving, rather than out in the field practicing their craft.

Glynda hadn't told her not to undertake the mission because of Coco's relationship with Tai. Glynda had told her not to lose another teammate in the field, and add another black mark to her record of leadership.

* * *

"… led by Coco Adel," Ozpin finished.

Coco was stunned. She hadn't honestly expected to be picked for a leadership role, especially after seeing how easily Fox and Yatsuhashi cut swathes through the Grimm. Coco hadn't done anything exceptional, merely provided consistent fire and covered her new teammates in fending off the creatures of Grimm.

She tried to think what action she'd undertaken had led to this decision. Coco had been one of the first to be launched into the Emerald Forest, and had used her minigun in an innovative way to slow her descent; maybe Ozpin picked her for her quick thinking. She'd barked orders at the others in combat that they'd complied with; maybe her assertive nature and willingness to take initiative had led to this decision.

Surprise was replaced by swelling pride. Her teammates congratulated her, none of them showing any signs of resentment, not even their mercurial and unreadable fourth, who applauded alongside Fox and Yatsuhashi. They'd only known each other for a day, yet these three virtual strangers were content to entrust their lives to Coco for the next four years they'd spend together.

Coco had high hopes for these three, and the bonds they'd form together. They all seemed skilled –maybe even more than Coco herself- and none of them knew that Coco was wealthy and could easily have avoided this life. She'd tell them eventually, but for now, they seemed happy for her and her accomplishment, achieved through her efforts and not because it'd been bought and paid for.

She wanted to hold to that feeling, that people liked and respected her, and that those people could be part of her life for the foreseeable future.

* * *

Coco found Fox in the cafeteria, keeping to himself in a distant corner. To some this might be perceived as anti-social; to Coco, it was Fox trying not to inadvertently eavesdrop on the conversations of refugees and soldiers and displaced teachers. If Coco had to guess, Fox had left the barracks for the same reason, to not overhear Yang and Velvet while the latter helped tend to the former. Coco wasn't eager to speak with him, but only because he'd immediately realize the difficulty she was going through, and she didn't want anyone's pity, not even from a close friend.

He recognized her heartbeat and lifted his head to acknowledge her. He smelled the salt that had fallen from her tear ducts, and kept his attention on her. His empty white eyes couldn't see Coco Adel standing nearby, but he could still stare a hole into her.

"It was a rough morning," Coco explained.

Fox nodded. "Do you want to talk?"

"No," Coco answered, sitting down beside him. Fox nodded and looked away, sitting quietly and not pressing the issue.

Which only made things more difficult for Coco. Fox could probably offer some useful perspective or some comforting words, but Coco didn't want to acknowledge that she was in such a bad place as to need his help in the first place. And Fox would help her immediately if she asked, but would just as easily respect her wish and _not_ help if that was what Coco preferred.

Her heartbeat betrayed her intentions. He could _hear_ her discord without Coco saying a word, and it must've pained him not to intervene. Still he waited for her to ask, and making him wait only made Coco feel worse about being so proud with her feelings.

"I just… I never expected it to feel like this," Coco finally said.

"You never know how it will feel," Fox told her. "It doesn't matter if you're warned, or if someone else describes it. It always hurts worse."

Fox would know. "How long did it take for you?" Coco asked.

"You were there," Fox reminded her. "I didn't get better until I _had_ to."

"Had to?" Coco repeated.

"When Velvet joined us," Fox explained. "I was still so full of anger, and I didn't ever want her to think it was her fault. I didn't want her to think I blamed her, or that she was just a… replacement, or somehow didn't deserve to be with us. She was already self-conscious about being bumped up a year, and I refused to add to her problems."

Coco thought back on Fox in the bullhead, when she'd tried to comfort him, and he'd lashed out at her, nearly striking with his wrist-mounted blade before pulling himself back. She remembered thinking how much he must've loved her, to become so angry. Coco coveted that look and that feeling, and wished she'd known what it was to be so in love.

"Do you ever stop missing her?" Coco asked.

"No," Fox admitted.

"Even now?" Coco asked.

"Even now," Fox confirmed. "She's a part of me. She always will be."

"What about Velvet?" Coco pressed.

"She knows how I feel," Fox explained. "She knows I lost her; I didn't give up, I didn't stop loving her. She's glad to know that when I love someone I don't ever stop."

Coco wasn't thrilled with that prospect. She didn't want to feel like this all the time, or even just for the few months that Fox had, and she certainly didn't want to start a new relationship somewhere down the line with the baggage of Taiyang Xiao Long dragging behind her. She wanted to put the past in the past.

Except it wasn't the past, not yet.

"Was I wrong to do this?" Coco asked him.

"We don't get to decide who we love," was Fox's simple reply.

"I didn't say I loved him," Coco pointed out.

"No," Fox agreed. "You didn't."

Coco quickly caught on. "That wasn't what we had."

"But it was what you wanted," Fox reminded her.

Coco's inconsistent heart rate betrayed the truth to him. She cursed that she could never tell him a lie, even if he was a dear friend. "I don't know what I wanted."

Fox stared a hole through her without ever being able to see her.

"He didn't want that," Coco tried.

Fox's empty white eyes were not fooled.

"I… I just didn't understand it," Coco finally managed. "I thought this was how things worked. You find someone you like, you let them know, they like you back, and you stay together as long as that's true."

"You're not so naïve," Fox reminded her.

She wasn't. She hadn't approached Tai because she wanted to form a relationship with him. That was just an unexpected benefit of what she'd intended as nothing more than an enjoyable night, that turned into a fling, that became something a bit more complicated.

The truth was, she'd taken Tai back to her apartment because she wanted to, and it seemed like he wanted her to. Only after that had things changed. Only after she'd taken that huge leap had she managed to take a few tiny steps.

Fox had gradually built up his relationship, and only crossed that threshold after months of slowly building affection and realizing what his feelings meant. Coco had acted before she'd really had any feelings at all. She didn't like to hesitate, and she didn't like to doubt herself. So she'd leapt in and let things go where they would.

That had always been her way, to push on ahead and learn as she went. Most of the time, things worked out, even if her confidence could occasionally turn people off. Most of the time, things went, if not to plan, than well enough for her to come out ahead.

Most of the time.

* * *

Coco had tried to bond with her teammates, but the boys' interests were quite different to her own. Yatsuhashi was always off training, striving to be a better warrior. Fox was into quieter and less social pursuits, and enjoyed a quiet night in more than a night on the town. The one Coco bonded with the most was the girl, who had quite a fashion sense and a mischievous, fun-loving personality, even if she wasn't talkative. Losing her in the field hit Coco hard, to lose a friend who'd put her life in Coco's hands.

But it hit Fox harder, because he'd _literally_ held that life in his hand when they exfiltrated in the bullhead, only to feel her hand slip from his fingers and hear her quiet gasp as she fell, and they kept flying on, forced to leave her behind in a situation they couldn't save her from. More pressingly than feeling her hand slip through his, she'd taken Fox's heart with her when she slipped through his fingers.

Coco wasn't blamed for the loss; Ozpin assumed responsibility for allowing a first year team to operate without proper supervision. Their team had been doing so well Ozpin had let them operate autonomously, and Coco was thrilled to have the chance to push ahead. For several missions things had gone well and they worked together without someone like Port, or Peach, or Oobleck looking over their shoulder.

Coco _wished_ someone would blame her for it. Fox kept blaming himself, and no matter how many times Coco reassured him it hadn't been his fault, he just sank deeper and deeper into despair, and she couldn't offer him the words needed to pull him back out. She tried to say that as leader she was responsible for it all, and every time Fox retreated from her she'd failed again.

She understood –even if she hadn't known the feeling- that it wouldn't be easy for him to overcome this loss, but at the very least Coco could help him. If he just let her in and stopped blaming himself it wouldn't hurt so much. He didn't have to deal with this alone; he was part of a team now.

So why did it feel like Coco and Fox were so far apart?

* * *

Velvet finally emerged from the barracks and joined them in the cafeteria. "She's doing better," Velvet explained. "Still won't talk to her dad, but she's not suffering from any more attacks."

"Any of the medics look at her?" Fox asked, filling a more talkative role than usual, compensating for Coco's sullen silence at his side.

"She only had a few scrapes from her fall," Velvet assured him. "As for the rest…" She let the sentiment hang.

Coco glanced back at the door to the cafeteria. Tai was probably still in the barracks with Yang. She hadn't been paying attention to where he'd gone, but it was hard for her _not_ to think about him. Coco hated that feeling. She didn't understand that feeling. She certainly enjoyed thinking about Tai before a few hours ago, but now…

Velvet sat across from them and ate quickly. She might've preferred to sit beside Fox, but Velvet made no such fuss. She left Coco to her own troubling thoughts, not bringing the matter up before excusing herself and bringing a ration back to the barracks for each Tai and Yang.

She was always so thoughtful. It took a while to break Velvet from her shell, but Coco was grateful for her friendship. It had been just what she'd needed when she was in a dark place. Velvet had been just what _her team_ needed to uplift them. When Coco added Velvet's contact information to her Scroll, she quietly moved another name elsewhere, just managing to refrain from deleting it. That wasn't a step she was sure she'd ever be ready to take, to just forget.

They spent a long time hurting without her. Velvet came into their lives at the right time, and for the right reasons.

* * *

"Alright, we'll give this girl Velvet a try," Coco agreed, signing off on Ozpin's advanced placement. If it meant they'd finally stop being grounded, so much the better. Maybe a bit of new blood would infuse some life in Fox.

Or in Coco.

Ozpin was pleased with their choice, and changed their team registration to _**CFVY**_.

Velvet came in with the other first years, only to be redirected by Professor Goodwitch. By chance, she ended up running into Fox first, and something about that meeting with her led Fox to emerge from the dark and interact with the world again. Yatsuhashi took to her quickly, and though he'd initially been Coco's partner, offered to help protect Velvet in the field until she found her footing. Though Velvet was shy, she quickly acclimated to her new teammates. She seemed to fit in with them straight away.

Coco was pleased to have a whole team again, and a new friend. But she couldn't deny she was a bit disappointed she'd failed to reach Fox, only for Velvet to find some way to help him instead. It wasn't something Coco begrudged her for; rather Coco cursed herself for not finding the answer on her own.

Her team was whole again. Whatever Velvet had that Coco lacked could only make their team better. There was no reason to think about the road not taken. There was no reason to be upset; after all, Fox was finally coming back to them.

Coco could turn her eye outwards. Her teammates' happiness would be her happiness, given enough time.

* * *

When Coco finally managed to leave the cafeteria and head back to her apartment, she tried to do as Glynda suggested and rest. She'd invited her team to join her, but Velvet had opted to remain near Yang and Fox in turn remained near Velvet. And once again, Coco found her bed surprisingly cold without Tai.

It should've been nice to take the day off and relax, but Coco was quickly reminded why she had such distaste for luxury. All she could do relaxing was think, and none of her thoughts were particularly pleasant. They were all rooted in where she was and where she was going, and what she should do.

She tried to reassure herself that Glynda had only benched Team CFVY for a single day and wasn't going to keep them out of the action for long. But the mere act reminded Coco once more that she was not a huntress who could operate independently; she was still a student, albeit one without a school and a curriculum to abide by. She was still following rules that –for all intents and purposes- didn't really apply to her. But Coco couldn't simply leave either.

She _could_ transfer to one of the other academies, and leave Vale to study at Shade or Atlas. But that would mean leaving her teammates behind, but –with the possible exception of Menagerie- Velvet had nowhere to go with anti-Faunus racism on the rise after the White Fang attack, Fox had no family or friends Coco knew of, and Yatsuhashi was committed to serving in a foreign kingdom, and felt honorbound to Beacon after Ozpin accepted his application. There was no way Coco could leave them; they were a second family to her, and a family of hunters like herself, with a bond forged in battle that only made them closer-knit.

Glynda may have said that Coco had a world to experience, but Coco had already laid down roots with these people. It was some small comfort to think Glynda had been wrong… at least partially.

She still had Fox's advice –his deeply unhelpful advice- in her mind, and Coco had no wish to suffer as he did, waiting for someone special to come into her life to help her with an answer. Coco had no wish to distract Velvet with her problems, because whatever Yang's reason for coming to Vale, Coco tried desperately not to begrudge the girl for Coco's current state with Taiyang.

That didn't leave her many options for people to talk to. Coco glanced through her Scroll at her list of contacts, musing on who was around. She wondered whatever became of Blake Belladonna and Lie Ren, who used to meet Fox for quiet tea on the weekends.

A name she passed by so many times, but never deleted. The past hadn't stopped being in the past, yet Coco had a bad habit of carrying it with her.

She typed a message to her old friend: _**I'm looking for people to hang with.**_ _**Free tonight?**_

It was a pointless thing, to send a request to a ghost. It didn't make her feel any better to imagine where her text message ended up. It was possible someone else had her number now, and they'd just be confused.

Instead, the ghost replied: _**;)**_

Coco looked down at the screen of her Scroll at the emoticon. Had her stress turned to madness? Or had the dead really decided to help her in her time of need?

Coco typed: _**Our usual lunch spot?**_

 _ **:)**_

It was her day off. Coco wasn't having much luck when left to her own thoughts, so perhaps what she needed was to try something impossible, and see if its reputation was undeserved.

* * *

Coco loved to take Velvet shopping. Yatsuhashi and Fox basically just assented to Coco's every suggestion, donning whatever outfit she picked for them to wear. Velvet actually resisted Coco's suggestions and had input of her own; it was _adorable_. It was also far more satisfying when Coco eventually won out, using her fashion expertise to gradually sway her Faunus friend's opinion.

"I don't think I need a hat, Coco," Velvet dryly remarked, as she tried to find some way to fit the bonnet over her extra set of ears.

"Nonsense," Coco argued, "we just need to find one that fits your… dimensions."

Velvet glanced at Coco's beret. "I don't have your good luck, I think."

"True," Coco conceded, searching through the racks for something that might slide between Velvet's ears. "Berets never go out of style, but for you, we need something better for your hair."

For some reason that thought hurt. Her former teammate had long hair like Velvet's- longer, actually.

Coco shook her head and focused on her task. "Let's try this one."

* * *

The ice cream parlor had been long abandoned, but she waited out in front at the dilapidated old table, looking at the storefront like she expected to be served at any moment. Coco took several seconds to stare at the back of her head, and the two-toned mane of hair. She wore white now, so that was something different, but her hair was pink and brown.

Coco sat down across from her, still wondering if this was some kind of extended hallucination. "Thanks for agreeing to meet me."

She had no words to offer, but she listened intently with a mischievous smile that all but confirmed it to Coco.

"I have a problem and I need to talk to someone who might understand it," Coco explained. "So, please… listen. I know you're good at that."

That was the worst part. Her teammates were so very good at listening, in both their iterations. Even after their death, it seemed. Coco was surprised she was still in Vale; had she really been unnoticed all this time? Perhaps. She _was_ gifted.

Well, there was no point in waiting any longer. Coco had asked for help, and the past had come to answer her request. "It's good to see you again, Neo."


	5. Quizzical

**Chapter Five: Quizzical**

* * *

 _The Past_

Coco continued to unload bullets into the horde as Yatsuhashi frantically pulled the others into the Bullheead. Neo was lagging behind, and Fox refused to leave her side. Their pilot was screaming at them to finish loading so they could complete their exfil, and Coco would have to reload soon, and that would leave her teammates without cover fire. Fortunately, Fox was able to help Neo find her way in, only for the Bullhead to start ascending before she'd joined them, her legs dangling out the side of the passenger bay.

A Griffon swept in close to their ship and the pilot swerved to avoid it. Neo lost her grip and slid out, only for Fox to reach out and take hold of her hand, hanging tight to her, refusing to lose his grip. Yatsuhashi held onto Fox from behind, trying to keep him steady as he hoisted Neo back inside. Coco continued to fire until her ammunition finally ran dry and she frantically attempted to reload before the Griffon resumed its attack.

The beast slammed into the side of the Bullhead, knocking them for a loop. The pilot tried to steady the ship, but to no avail, as they careened through the air.

And Neo lost her grip. She uttered a quiet gasp as her fingers slipped through his and she fell the long way to the ground, into the still-thrashing horde of Grimm.

Fox immediately tried to jump after her, but Yatsuhashi held tight and refused to let him go. Coco just looked on, watching her friend disappear amidst rushing wind and a sea of black.

It took Fox a while to calm down, thrashing in Yatsu's arms, before eventually he settled enough to kneel on the metal floor, still reaching his hand out into the rushing air. Coco reached over, trying to comfort him, only for him to turn back with fervor, nearly cutting her with his wrist-mounted blade.

"It's not your fault," Coco assured him. She couldn't think of anything more to say than that.

Because it wasn't his fault. It was Coco's; as leader, she should've been the last one out. She should've known her friends were safe before she climbed aboard. But because she had long range weaponry, she covered for the others from a place of relative safety.

It was a battlefield decision. The courses she was assigned drilled into her the necessity of making sacrifices in combat, and stressed how unpredictable battle could be. The world was full of random chance, and her career path was one of constantly putting her life in danger. It was what she –and Fox, and Yatsuhashi and Neo- signed up for.

She couldn't compare the pain she felt to Fox. She lost a friend. He lost someone he _loved_.

Coco couldn't imagine how that felt. She hoped she'd never have to.

* * *

 _Today_

Yang still hadn't said more than a few words to him, and so Tai eventually scuttled away, leaving his daughter to open up a bit more with the Faunus girl Velvet. He found his way out of the barracks and wandered back to the cafeteria, musing on what he should do. He didn't want to forcibly return Yang to Patch, but he also hadn't planned to remain in Vale for an extra day, and would need to find himself a change of clothes. Coco could've helped with that… a day earlier. If they'd gone shopping at any point before they-

Tai raised his palm to his face and sighed. Much as he'd have liked to blame this strange confluence of events on Yang, _he_ was the one responsible. She was his daughter, and she'd been suffering. Instead of being around to help her come to terms with her issues, Tai had run off to Vale for a bit of adolescent fun. He couldn't even fall back on _that_ for comfort now, because he'd managed to screw things up there too. In the course of a single day he'd ruined his relationship with both his daughter and his lover.

He was surrounded by friends here. He should've been able to fall back on a support network to help him deal with his problems, but Glynda had done nothing but snipe at him in her passive-aggressive way, and Oobleck had only succeeded in reminding him how badly he'd hecked up. Which left-

"Ho, ho!" Port heartily greeted, slapping Tai on the back as he stepped into the cafeteria. "How is dear Yang doing?"

Tai tried to view it as a simple display of concern. "She's doing better. Not sure how long she'll need before I can take her home."

"Indeed," Port agreed. "I'm sure she intends to remain until she has a satisfactory insight into her dear father's misadventures!"

Was there _anyone_ left who didn't know what he and Coco had been up to? "Pete…"

"Sit, please," Port requested. "Let us think on better times; we have a great many more behind us than ahead!"

Tai reluctantly obliged, finding a table with Port. "I'm not sure I'd agree with that."

"Oh, but it is to be celebrated," Port argued. "That we've had the richness of success and prosperity to look back upon. I fear our children have harder times ahead than the ones we knew; which only tells me their glories and triumphs will exceed and eclipse our own!"

Port's bombast and enthusiasm may have been optimistic, but Tai managed to avoid becoming infected by his old friend's good mood. "It's easy for you to think about. Your kids were only just students to you."

"You wound me!" Port remarked. "My friend, I thought you knew better- I may not have had the joy of children of my own like you, but I dedicated my life to educating them because I knew how important a role they'd have to play! Do you not teach children at Signal the same lessons: to be strong and dutiful and do their best for the good of their home and their kingdom?

"I will not pretend to compare how you feel about your daughter, but I was there when she was wounded in battle; her friend Miss Belladonna brought her to the medics before she was placed on a transport out," Port explained. "After Beacon fell, I heard two of my students made it home to their father. I heard one –one I distinctly recall giving advice to- had to return to her home country and another had disappeared. And those are just the members of a single team. They are the ones I have some explanation for. Those are only among the select few who defended their kingdom. Who's to say what became of those who fled, or how many others fell in battle?"

"That's not the same, Pete," Tai insisted. "We've all lost somebody."

"And you know that better than most," Port conceded. "But much as I'd prefer not to intercede in the life of my friend, I must think to the welfare of my students; at least when there is something my actions can do to help them. As is the case with Miss Adel."

"Oh, here we go," Tai moaned, "Just save it. It's over, okay? It's done. It was a m-"

It _wasn't_ a mistake. He didn't regret it. Tai had made many errors along the way, and if given a chance to do them over he'd have corrected his errors, and told Yang sooner and explained himself to Coco –if that would've even been necessary, if that wouldn't have changed along the way- but he would not have avoided going on mission alongside Coco that day. He would never take back seeing that smile and holding that hand. He wouldn't forget seeing her wink at him with those big brown eyes.

"It wasn't how I planned for things to go," Tai allowed. "But I'm not interested in hearing about your disapproval, or about how old I'm getting, or about students or… whatever the point you're trying to make is."

"Clearly I've explained myself rather poorly," Port agreed. "Whatever made you think I disapproved?"

Tai raised his eyebrow.

"My friend, you think I judge you for trying to find happiness?" Port asked him. "After all that you've lost, it encourages me to know you're still _trying_. It's far too easy to leave ourselves to our own devices and _not_ try to do better. Surely you think your children would want you to be happy? Surely you think the dead would rather you move on?"

That was a step too far. "Don't go there," Tai growled.

Port slowly raised his palm and gingerly nodded his head. "My point, Tai is -that with moments we have left- we should find happiness, if we can. We shouldn't be shackled by the past, just because it's brighter than the present. And if Miss Adel was happy with you, what more consideration did you need?"

Tai thought of Yang a building over, lying in her cot in her funk. Tai thought to how she'd spent the past three months doing little more than that, while he'd patiently waited for Yang to find her way forward, or at least ask him to help her find the path. He hadn't wanted to rush her through or put any pressure on her, but thinking of her now in the barracks, even worse off… and worse because of his own selfishness…

"No, you were right before," Tai decided. "She has more time left than we do, and I can't just hog it by making her deal with my problems. It's not fair to Yang."

"And Miss Adel?" Port pointedly inquired.

Was the same true for her? Was Tai squandering Coco's time as well as Yang's, just so he could experience a few fleeting moments of happiness? How he longed to go back a few weeks earlier, when this had all been simple and he hadn't been quite so attached.

Before he…

Before…

Before he fell in love.

And he _was_ in love. Not merely attached, not merely interested, not merely involved. The feelings he had now, the feelings he had when he looked in her eyes or saw her smile…

He wished he'd known this for certain beforehand. He wished he'd known this yesterday, when Coco told him she needed him. He wished only that he'd told her before they fought, because now, much as he'd like to say the words, he couldn't. It would only burden her with something she wouldn't want.

If this was the result of his attempt to branch out and find happiness, he should never have left the house. He should've remained with Yang until she was healthy and whole again. Because now, knowing that these feelings were real, knowing they'd advanced to this stage, and knowing he could do _nothing_ about it…

He had the chance and he hadn't taken it. And now he never would.

* * *

Coco looked over the abandoned parlor and at the dilapidated tables. She might've preferred meeting for lunch somewhere that actually served a meal, but then, she really couldn't expect too much hospitality from ghosts.

Especially not ones with Neo's record. Coco had thought her dead _twice_ now. The first time Coco had been devastated at the loss of a friend. The second time she'd been _grateful_ to hear about the passing of a deadly enemy.

Coco hadn't told Fox. She hadn't had the heart to say that his love was alive and well and willingly bringing about Beacon's destruction. She hadn't been willing to test and see where his loyalties would lie when he was tested, nor had she wanted to put Velvet in a position to learn the man she'd fallen in love with might have to chase after his ex-girlfriend, after said ex-girlfriend tried to kill the older sister of one of Velvet's best friends. And now that she thought about it, tried to kill the daughter of Coco's… ex. It pained her to keep the secret, because that wasn't her way… but the alternative was to damage something precious.

"I won't keep you long," Coco assured her. "I just needed someone to turn to right now, and I didn't want to burden any of my friends."

Neo inclined her head in a quizzical tilt. Coco quickly clarified: "Velvet, Yatsuhashi… Fox…"

Neo had no reaction to his name. Coco hoped there might've still been some connection there, some emotional response, but Neo gave her nothing. Coco knew Neo was full of tricks, but she didn't think her diminutive old friend was casting any illusions. Not yet, anyway.

"Okay, look, you've had experience in this area, and I haven't," Coco admitted. She hated acknowledging this, but she also wanted whatever help or input Neo could offer. She sped the process along as best she could. "I want to talk about… guys."

Neo's eyebrows shot up into her multicolored hair and she cast another of those coy smiles. Coco pressed ahead. "I met someone. Someone I really like. And I… I don't know, I jumped the gun. I overreacted. I screwed things up."

Neo quizzically inclined her head. Clearly Coco would have to be a bit more specific. It wasn't as though Neo could simply ask what happened. Coco would have to spell it out.

"I've never dated anyone," Coco explained. "Not really. You made it work for months with Fox. I just want to know what you did when you fought."

Neo didn't respond. She seemed confused, as though Coco's words had sailed over her head.

Coco's temper began to flare up. "Fox. Your boyfriend. Remember?"

Neo only quizzically inclined her head. She seemed to be waiting for Coco to continue, rather than acknowledging the question asked.

Had she forgotten? Neo made no effort to reach them when she'd returned to Beacon… had she lost any recollection of Fox? Or of Team CFYN, as it had been?

Was that because she was injured in the fall? Or had she stopped caring? Or never bothered to care at all? Had it just been Fox in love and Neo going along with it? She was never very forthcoming.

Coco had heard Fox talk of her. She hadn't mistaken his feelings. But Neo had no voice for Coco to hear; no inflection that would betray her intent.

"I… appreciate you taking the time," Coco said, trying to be formal and polite, to remember what virtues her wealthy upbringing had allowed her. Unfortunately, a bit of the venom found its way out. "I wish I could say it was good to see you again."

When she stood up, Neo did the same, quickly leaping to her feet. She stepped towards Coco, eyeing her curiously. Coco felt her hand reach back towards her bag, ready to draw her minigun and fire, expecting her 'friend' to attack at any moment.

Neo didn't seem to catch on to her trepidation. Instead she drew closer and hugged Coco tightly, burying her head in Coco's chest and neck. Coco just stood stunned, looking down at the tiny girl holding onto her, showing her this affection without knowing how to respond.

Neo looked up at her, smiled again, and released her grip. She reached up to tip her fetching new bowler hat and walked away, opening her umbrella and striding away in comfortable shade.

Coco had no idea what to make of it. She hadn't known exactly what she expected to find… or if this meeting had happened at all, or just been some fit of grief. She looked down at her Scroll, and the little smiling emoticons Neo had sent in reply.

When she looked up again Neo was gone.

Coco wasn't sure what she'd expected to learn, but Neo had given her one insight: silence was not an answer. And silence was the only response Coco had to offer when Tai had told her how much she'd meant to him, even with his daughter still forefront in his mind.

Fox's love for Neo turned to despair after he lost her. At least he'd thought she was gone forever and he couldn't change things.

Coco _could_ change things. She could fight for what she wanted… for the relationship that mattered to her, for the bond she'd forged, for the…

For…

She didn't have to decide that yet. She didn't have to know the exact word to describe her feelings until it was time to say it. But she _did_ have to say something, to tell Taiyang she wanted to fight for what they had and not lose it because she'd been angry and shortsighted.

More than that, it wasn't just Tai she needed to speak to. Yang had inquired about Coco's whereabouts to Velvet, and there would only be one reason for Yang to come to Vale in her condition and seek Coco out.

It was a long walk back to the relief center, but Coco walked with a purpose. Her heels weren't so painful as to deter her from this, now that she had a goal in mind.

* * *

Coco saw Taiyang in the cafeteria talking to Port. Maybe that was simply how he was dealing with the same issues Coco was; by talking to old friends and seeking their counsel. She pointedly averted her gaze and hoped she'd gone unnoticed, moving between refugees wandering the camp at midday.

Coco poked her head into the barracks, and -once she was certain Tai had not noticed and followed after her- she walked over to Yang and Velvet sitting in their cot. Velvet quickly made up an excuse to be elsewhere, leaving Coco standing over the former first year.

Yang looked up at her with her pretty lavender eyes. Coco stepped a short distance back, sitting in an unoccupied bed across from her. For several awkward seconds they were both quiet, just looking at one another.

Finally, Coco spoke: "So. Here we are."

"Yep." Yang confirmed.

Again they were quiet for many awkward seconds.

"You came all this way to see me," Coco reminded her. "So say whatever it is you need to say."

* * *

A black-haired girl easily disappeared in a crowd. Even one as unusually short as herself could slip through, because no one could ever see anything but what was right in front of them. A new color in her hair, a bit of green in her eyes, and she disappeared.

Neo had not recognized the man Coco had so longingly stared at in the cafeteria, but the blonde bruiser in the barracks? That one she remembered. She hadn't forgotten the target who escaped her blade.

The sister of Ruby Rose, the one who killed Roman. The kin of his killer… right here, wounded and vulnerable, with only Neo's old friend Coco in between them.

It wasn't quite the revenge she'd planned on. It would be far sweeter.

Nothing hurt like taking away someone you loved. Nothing felt worse than being helpless to stop it, and to return only to sorrow and loss, knowing your love made the pain that much worse. Now Neo would share that hurt with Roman's killer.

All she had to do was pick her moment.

* * *

 _The Past_

She didn't remember much. But she knew _this_. _This_ she was good at. If she could survive finding herself amid a horde of monsters, a bunch of untalented muscleheads would not impede her. She may not have known how she'd found herself here, or precisely why these jerks in black suits and red ties opted to pick a fight with her, but she knew how to deal with them.

Vale was not her home, but it was close to it. Something important to her was nearby, of that she was certain. Somewhere in the fog of incomplete memory was the life that mattered to her, somewhere within that kingdom and not in the wilds with the Grimm… though not with these uncoordinated brawlers either.

Roman Torchwick was watching intently as what remained of Junior's goons were cut down. He'd had quite enough of fighting teenage girls, and after watching one even shorter than the last tear through his mercenaries, he felt grateful for his forethought.

"You've got some moves," Roman complimented. "I hope you're not looking for a fight; I just cleaned this suit."

She didn't answer. She just leveled the sword she'd unsheathed from her parasol.

"Alright, alright, fine," Roman said, leveling his cane to the ground. "Well, I'm no gentleman. I won't let you hit me like these rent-a-mobsters."

She still leveled her sword. She didn't move; didn't respond. It took Roman a moment to realize, but he put two and two together. Unfortunately, not before he heard a clang of steel and felt a blade drawn up against his neck. "Oh, for f-"

It was unfortunate the redheaded man was so tall; she had to hold her sword over her head to reach his neck. It was a bit of an awkward position, and she was looking up at the back of his hat.

Which conveniently meant she wasn't looking at the ground, or his cane slowly moving towards her boot. Roman flipped up the targeting circle, revealing the barrel of his exposed rifle.

"Tell me, sweetheart," Roman spoke again, when she glanced down at the floor. "We gonna' die together tonight?"

He took a risk and turned around to face her, letting her blade graze him only slightly. Each held the other on either end of their weapon. "Because I'm thinking that I could make a talented person like yourself a better offer."

He was fearless. He must've known that Neo could kill him, possibly even survive his explosive round if she was quick enough. Yet he didn't lose that confident smile, and didn't retreat from her.

Was he the one? The same man who'd fought alongside her? No… he was older, taller… and the man she'd cared for hadn't been quite so willing to fight so dirty. This man was not the hero she faintly recalled in the back of her mind.

Still, she was curious what he had in mind for her. Someone brave enough to face death without flinching was worthy of a moment of her time.

Neo tilted her head quizzically… and smiled.


	6. What We Have In Common

**Chapter Six: What We Have In Common**

* * *

Fox had gotten sick of the cafeteria. He was tired of just listening to the refugees shuffle in and out to have their meals, but he couldn't spend all day training like Yatsuhashi. After the third hour he'd felt he'd improved enough during the downtime, and got himself cleaned up and gone back to staking out his little corner of the relief center. Now boredom had set in and he had nothing to occupy his time save listening to people coming in and out and doing his best not to eavesdrop. It worked for everyone but the overly bombastic Port, who seemed eager to dole out advice to Coco's boyfriend. Or whatever he was.

He tried to be patient while Velvet occupied herself looking after Yang. It gave Velvet something to do to combat the boredom of mulling around the safe zone, and she got to help the sister of one of her best friends. She may have been worried about Yang's health, but she was clearly grateful to find herself of use without having to go out and fight Grimm to feel that way.

Velvet settled in beside Fox at his table, turning her attention to him. "How are you doing?"

It was necessary for Velvet to come pull him out from his corner for Fox to interact. He'd have spent the whole day moping around if not for her, providing him with energy, enthusiasm, and purpose. Fox didn't know what he'd done to merit her interest, because he couldn't possibly have deserved it. "Better now."

He heard Velvet smile, the sound of her cheekbones painting the picture for him. She cuddled up beside him, resting her head on his shoulder. Fox adjusted his position slightly to let Velvet lean on him, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her in.

"What have I done to earn your attention?" Fox asked, only half-joking. He didn't mean to question his good fortune, but he'd become curious.

"Coco and Yang are finally talking," Velvet explained. "I made a discreet exit."

Fox nodded. It had been inevitable, ever since Yang's arrival. Velvet had mentioned how quickly Yang's attention shifted to Coco, and how determined she was to meet. Now all that remained was for things to play out. Fox gave it no more thought, enjoying his time with Velvet in their corner.

But Velvet had played this part too many times already, and opted for a change of pace. After indulging Fox –and herself- a few minutes, Velvet nuzzled at his chin from below to catch his attention and requested: "Care for a walk?"

Fox was so lucky to have Velvet. She made him want to go out into the world, because it meant having her at his side along the way. He simply nodded and joined her as she bounded up, no doubt eager to stretch her legs after spending the hours sharing a bunk in the barracks.

Velvet took his hand in hers' and led their pace, Fox only too happy to follow her lead. Once out in the open air, Velvet described to him the sight of trees filling up with their leaves again as spring returned to Vale, and told him about the changes made to their little piece of the city that had yet to be abandoned, including one of the shopkeepers shifting focus from ramen to confections. At Velvet's suggestion, Fox sniffed the air, taking in the scent of pastries and… ice cream?

He put the thought out of his mind. At some point in the future, Velvet might want to go out for ice cream, and he'd have to keep his composure and not let the smell bother him. It might always be a reminder, but it didn't have to be a burden.

But as they continued their walk around, Fox kept detecting the lingering scent of vanilla, of strawberry, of chocolate…

It was wishful thinking. Just some sweet treat for the refugees that happened to remind Fox of a different time; nothing significant. Or so he tried to convince himself as he kept picking up the smell… and with it, slowly but surely, it became clearer to him, even if it was only faintly carried on the wind, and he kept twitching his nose, searching for it.

Velvet gave his hand a gentle squeeze to get his attention. "What is it?"

Fox tried to dismiss the thought, but couldn't quite move past what his senses conveyed to him. "Don't know yet. It's… familiar."

Velvet had enhanced senses of her own –she was the only one who could hear better than Fox- but she didn't quite share his sense of smell. She tried to follow his lead now, tasting the air along with him. "Where?"

Fox led her along, scouring for it. It had to be something Innocuous, or some incredible coincidence that led to a group of familiar scents compounding together to create a chemical reaction that mimicked what he'd once known. Someone liked their ice cream and happened to be producing a pheromone similar to…

It came back to him, an image in perfect clarity, as he found it at last. She'd carefully masked her presence, disguising herself with one aspect of her Semblance, but she hadn't hidden her scent. She hadn't sent out a replica, merely put on a disguise. It may have fooled anyone in the relief center who didn't know her, but Fox had never forgotten her scent.

He dropped to one knee, releasing his grip on Velvet's hand and pressing it to the stone floor, sensing it.

"Fox, what is it?" Velvet asked. "What have you found?"

It wasn't possible; it couldn't be real. She was gone, she'd died on that mission outside the kingdom… he'd lost her and he'd finally moved on when Velvet joined them and gave him the hope and motivation to keep going. Now…

He didn't want to believe it, but if it _was_ her… if she'd somehow survived and found her way back…

He had to know.

* * *

"Three guesses what this is about," Yang dryly remarked.

"He's what we have in common," Coco pointed out.

"So, I guess there's not gonna be any small talk, then?" Yang coyly inquired. "How've you been, how's the weather?"

"You were the one who wanted to talk to me," Coco reminded her. "I'm here."

Yang nodded. "So… how?"

Coco knew what Yang was after, but didn't jump ahead. She waited for the blonde to spell it out. "You want details, or…?"

Yang shook her head. "My Dad told me about his trip here, and his mission with your team, and how quick he was to fall for you. You really hook up with him so quickly?"

Coco didn't like acknowledging it. She didn't feel the need to justify her actions, but at some time in her past she was probably every bit as judgmental –even worse- when she didn't even have a personal stake in the couple or the act. "We had a connection."

"Had?" Yang repeated.

Coco wasn't sure what to tell her, or if Velvet had let slip what happened between Coco and Tai. She could be harsh and simply say things had ended… but that wasn't what Coco wanted to tell her. That wasn't the truth Coco wanted to accept. Not if there was any chance things could be different from what seemed inevitable.

"We had a fight," Coco admitted. "I was upset at him for leaving in a hurry and I yelled at him for a bit, and uh…"

Yang simply watched, listening intently. Coco pondered where to go from there; to admit that Yang was the reason that things were where they were? To acknowledge that Tai had chosen his daughter over his lover, despite how strongly he'd felt about Coco?

"...and he said you were the most important thing in his life," Coco eventually said, "You and your sister both. It's important to him that he be there for you."

"Not _that_ important," Yang deadpanned.

" _Yes_ , that important," Coco snapped back. "As soon as he got your message he ran to come find you. Don't you get it, Yang? He-"

 _He chose you over me._

Coco again stopped herself, not letting her emotions get the best of her. "He came to help you, because no matter what he has –or _had_ \- with me, you meant more. Don't you get that?"

"I do, I promise you I do," Yang assured Coco. "And I'm not trying to rub it in; I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I get that this isn't easy for you. I get that this isn't how you intended for things to go. But we are where we are now, and what you've done…"

Yang was silent for several seconds before she finished her thought. "Did my Dad tell you about my mother?"

"Just briefly," Coco acknowledged. "He didn't want to go into too much detail… and I didn't push him on it."

"He never does," Yang acknowledged. "But when S- when my mother died, she took a big piece of my Dad with her. He was so despondent he shut down for a while, and he wasn't able to be there when he had two little girls trying to process that. I had to step up and take care of Ruby then, until he was able to move on. It wasn't that long now that I think about it, but back then it seemed to last forever.

"I'm glad he's reaching out again and trying to find happiness," Yang explained. "But I was there the last time he was really invested and things ended. I never wanted to see that empty, dead look in his eyes ever again… and I never _will_."

Coco tried to infer Yang's meaning. Clearly the words were important to her, but her voice had so little emotion it was hard for Coco to catch her intent. "Are you telling me to break it off?"

"I'm telling you not to hurt him," Yang clarified for her. "I… look, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel about you. It's clear that my Dad really likes you, and that you make him happy. I… I won't pretend that the fact you're as young as you are doesn't bother me, but it's not anywhere near as important to me as what he wants. If you're what he wants, if… if whatever this is –whatever you two have together- is what he wants, and it makes him happy, then I want him to be happy. That's way more important than whatever I'm feeling."

"Not to him," Coco reminded her.

"I really wish it was easy, to just go with one or another," Yang replied. "I wish I just hated you and wanted you away from him. That'd be easy for him to get and easy for me to say. I wish I was okay with everything and wanted you two to stay together, because that's usually what I want for my friends and family. I'm used to telling people to get together and stay together and be happy together and it's weird that I can't just say that to you."

Coco understood that conflicting feeling. She'd been there often enough. "Is there something you want me to change? Something you think I should do to –I don't know- be worthy of him?"

"All I want to know is that you won't hurt him," Yang bluntly answered. "I mean… I'm not expecting you to just commit to something or to give up on whatever you've got going on in your life or whatever. I just want to know if things don't work out he'll be okay. I need to know if you have to leave or things don't work out that you won't break his heart to get there. I need to know that if you're ever walking out he can still come home."

It seemed like a reasonable request. But Coco had hurt him already, in accusing him of trying to break things off. Honesty had seemed the best tactic so far with Yang.

"I don't ever want to hurt him," Coco explained. "But I have, and I…"

 _When I look you in the eye, I want nothing more than to stay with you._ _ **All the time**_ _. When I look at you, when I feel the way I feel I want that._

"I misjudged what we had, and I misjudged him," Coco replied. "And I'm sorry it ever came to that. I really should just stop, and let go of all this, because you'll always be more important to him. It's maddening, thinking that you're not the most important thing in your boyfriend's life, but…"

Glynda had advised her about this, about how Coco still had her youth to enjoy and she didn't need to settle down into the constraints of adulthood. She had time she could spend seeing the world, and somewhere on Remnant there would be someone who wouldn't be intimidated by Coco's swagger and confidence and devote themselves to her in a way Taiyang Xiao Long wanted to, but couldn't.

But then Coco thought on her mother, a younger woman who accepted that domestic life, and even if she had only children to busy herself rather than her own ambitions, had been content with the life she'd led, and loved a man who'd only wanted her for the sake of showing her off as the prize he'd claimed. Coco didn't have to settle for such compromises, because the older man interested in her wasn't boasting about his pretty young girlfriend: he was willing to give her up for the sake of his child.

Coco had been quiet a long time with Yang waiting for her to finish her thought. Finally, Coco steeled herself and said: "… but I can live with it. I can wait for him, if I have to, until you get better; for however long he needs."

"No, I won't hurt him again," Coco promised. "But I don't want to let him go."

She came very close to saying it then. The only reason Coco held her tongue was because she wanted Tai to hear it first.

Yang held Coco's gaze, thinking on her words. Eventually, slowly but surely, Yang found herself nodding. "Okay."

She'd come to Vale fully intending to dissuade Coco from chasing after her father, to let her down gently and encourage her to look elsewhere. Now, whatever her conflicting feelings, Coco's determination to win Taiyang back pushed doubt aside.

Yang stood up from the cot and pointed out the door. "Go get him."

Coco gave her a confident smile and turned to do just that, but stopped after only a few paces. Yang prepared a snarky comment on the matter, before Coco turned around and faced her again, and after a moment's hesitation, pulled Yang into a hug.

Yang was slow to respond, having never been close enough to Coco –or any of her teammates really- to expect this. Still, she accepted the gesture of affection and hugged Coco back as best she could with just her left arm.

"Thank you," Coco whispered in her ear before resuming her determined step outwards, towards the cafeteria, towards Taiyang. She didn't care who was there to witness, or who she'd have to interrupt: she knew exactly what she was going to tell him. She knew exactly what she needed to say, no matter what he'd have to say in return.

Coco was between the two buildings, reaching for the entrance handle when a terrible ringing filled her ears, and others scattered throughout the relief center responded to the same blaring sound.

The perimeter alarm.

The Grimm.

They had the worst timing…

Coco looked longingly at the door to the cafeteria, but shook her head. There were people in the relief center who couldn't defend themselves, and if the Grimm had managed to smash their way through the perimeter defenses, she'd need to force them back out.

She'd resolved to wait for Tai if she needed to. Coco believed he'd do her the same courtesy and wait until the crisis passed for them to sort things out. She checked her supply of ammunition and dashed towards the battlements, waving to Yatsuhashi to join her when she spotted him making his way through the crowd of citizens and refugees.

Let the Grimm come. Coco would destroy them all and not let anything deter her from following through and saying what she needed to say.

* * *

Tai heard the alarm and glanced around the cafeteria. Port was already on his feet, proving quite nimble for a man of his tenure. Tai saw Glynda emerge from her office and gather together whoever was on hand, with Port, Oobleck, and the first year Cardin Winchester collecting their weapons and preparing to answer the call. Glynda shouted to civilians and refugees to get to the safe house, and they were quick to comply and shuffle out.

When Tai went to take his place alongside them, Glynda waved him off. "We'll appraise the threat first," she explained. "If we need your help we'll call you in to provide reinforcements. If we need to fall back, you'll be on hand to help defend this position and get the civilians out."

Tai couldn't fault her tactical reasoning, but he wasn't eager to wait while his friends were rushing off to the fight. "And if you aren't able to reach me and you get overwhelmed out there?"

"We aren't the ones with a daughter waiting for us here," Glynda reminded him. "Go to her. Keep her safe. If we need you, we'll find a way to reach you. If we don't, you won't have left her alone here wondering what you did in the meantime."

Tai reluctantly accepted the instructions. "Fine. Don't get in over your head out there."

Glynda merely nodded before corralling the others and heading to the perimeter in formation. Port clapped Tai on the back and headed after her, and Oobleck gave him a brief nod of acknowledgment before heading out himself. Tai doubted any of them were in danger from a random Grimm attack, but he couldn't help but wonder, as he wouldn't get to see the fighting firsthand.

But Glynda was right that he could help Yang not suffer the same problem her father was having. He was sure she might worry about others fighting in her stead, but at least she wouldn't have to worry about whether or not her dad would be coming back when the fighting was done.

* * *

Velvet kept tugging on Fox's wrist, even as she scrunched down both of her rabbit ears to try and muzzle the sound of the alarm. "Fox, come on- the others might need us. The people here might need our help."

Fox agreed with both of those statements, but he wasn't able to respond. He was so obsessed with following the scent that he could easily block out the annoying sound of the alarm. It should've been agony for him to hear that annoying ringing, just as it was for Velvet, but an entirely different agony had consumed him, to the point he was ignoring the pleas of the woman he loved.

"Fox, just tell me what this is," Velvet asked. "Please, just let me know what you've found."

He _wanted_ to tell her. He desperately wished he could just say that he was being haunted, or that he'd lost control of his senses, or that he would be of no help in the fight right now.

Anything but say that it was the woman he loved before he loved Velvet.

Fox continued to pursue it, even as Velvet tried desperately to dissuade him. He had to follow the scent. He _had_ to know.

* * *

It had been astonishingly easy to divert their attention. They clearly hadn't learned anything about improving their security after the fall of Beacon. All she'd needed to do was slip past a few guards and trip a few wires and all their defenses had been sent into a panic.

It had been an unfortunate necessity. Neo had no doubt that she could best all the former Beacon students, even the formidable second years hanging about, but she had no wish to fight against Coco after their brief reunion. Neo might be able to best one of the Beacon teachers if she caught them off guard and struck them while they were unguarded, but she didn't think she'd be able to pull the same trick on three of them in succession. She'd also prefer not to have a witness to this act. Fortunately, with defenders rushing towards a false alarm at the edge of their safe zone and the weak ones they'd been protecting running in the opposite direction, that left the path to Neo's prey clear.

She'd kept up her disguise through her act of subterfuge, and continued to mask herself when she poked her head into the barracks again. She slid inside unnoticed, and waited for the last group of stragglers to gather some personal affects and head for the precious panic rooms. A few moments of patiently indulging them –sparing those who delayed her vengeance- she was left in the dark and empty room, with a single bright sun to illuminate her path.

She was eager to stab it and snuff out its light.

Neo stepped towards her, still in disguise, using a bit more of her power to disguise the presence of her umbrella. With black hair tied in pigtails and bright green eyes, the blonde bruiser _might_ recognize her from the qualifying round of the Vytal Festival tournament, but Neo really hoped she wouldn't. She wanted to see her eyes when Neo revealed herself in full.

"Hey," Yang greeted. "You okay, kid? Did you get separated from the rest of your family?"

She was so foolish, mistaking Neo for a child. Whatever childhood she'd had left had disappeared when she'd lost Roman. When he'd been _taken_ from her.

Neo reached her free hand up to loosen her tails and let her hair fall back. She preferred letting it flow out and not be constrained, and she wanted to feel natural when she killed this girl.

Yang watched curiously, comprehension slow to reach her. Exactly as Neo intended, she hadn't yet made the leap. That'd make her expression all the sweeter.

Neo reached into her coat and found his hat, placing atop her head, even though it slid forward and obscured her forehead, too big on her smaller frame. Undeterred, Neo used this to her advantage, pulling the brim of the bowler low to obscure her eyes.

"That's a nice hat," Yang noted. "You know… it looks just like the one-"

She was right. It _was_ a nice hat.

Neo blinked. Her eyes ceased to be green and took on the pink and brown hues she'd been born with. She wore the colors that scared so many, yet Roman had never feared to look upon.

She pushed the hat back up on her head and smiled at Yang, watching the tall blonde's lilac eyes widen in shock. "You-!"

Neo finished discarding her illusion, shedding the black gothic look and emerging in the white coat and brown slacks she favored, but more immediately revealing her umbrella, unsheathing its hidden blade and leveling it at the girl.

Yang stumbled back in her cot, clumsily attempting to retreat while seated, eventually falling out of the cheap Atlas structure and tumbling to the ground. Neo moved in close, pressing the tip of the blade to the blonde bruiser's chin.

It wasn't the vengeance Neo coveted, but it would do for now. Knowing she'd taken away someone Ruby Rose loved… that would do just fine.

Neo heard the door to the barracks swing open. She refused to take her eyes off her prey, and drew back her blade to snuff out her light.

Only for something large to dash in her path, moving with surprising speed for something so big. Neo struck flesh, blood splattering up on her umbrella… but it hadn't been the flesh she'd intended.

Yang's eyes widened again as she saw him covering her, taking the wound in his back. He didn't seem to mind, smiling even as a small trickle of blood fell from his lips down his chin.

"Never again," Taiyang promised her. "I'll never fail you again."

"Dad…" Yang barely managed to whisper. Neo pulled her blade back. Tai collapsed atop Yang, still shielding her from her attacker.

Neo had not thought she could be so fortunate. She hadn't known who this man was, only that he'd caught Coco's eye and affected her deeply. He was Yang Xiao Long's father? Then was he Ruby Rose's father, too?

Another thing that would hurt Ruby Rose. Another punishment, another toll Neo could exact on Ruby Rose for what she'd taken away. She could lose her father too. It'd give them something in common.

Neo looked down at the tears in Yang's eyes, taking in her fear before she would bring this moment to its swift and brutal end.


	7. Still Lingering

**Chapter Seven: Still Lingering**

* * *

 _The Past_

"Well, hello, gorgeous," Roman greeted to the raven-haired woman waltzing into their hideout. Neo rolled her eyes at his terrible line and hoped he wasn't going to keep trying to get on this lady's good side. Fortunately, Roman was perceptive and observant and recognized Neo's immediate disdain for this newcomer, which only seemed to encourage him to ladle on the charm.

She talked about some big plan she had in mind and wanted to recruit someone local to have a hand in it. Not the most original pitch they'd heard, at least until she mentioned the sheer _scale_ of theft she plotted. It wasn't every day someone invited you on a mission to steal all the Dust in a kingdom.

Eventually, Roman agreed to enter into this alliance she'd proposed, promising to start small and build up to bigger and better scores. Once she'd given him a timetable she was out the door, leaving Neo to express her disapproval of their newest business partner.

Roman had come to know her well, and understood her distrust. In the midst of lighting a cigar and setting up a meeting at Junior's place, he asked her: "Remember what I taught you?"

 _Never believe. Never trust. Never hope._

Neo nodded three times, once for each lesson. "We're going to see how things play out. We pull out if things get dicey. If they don't… " Roman mused for a moment, "…well, I did promise you a good scrap, didn't I? What better fight is there than a fight against a whole kingdom?"

Neo was a bit wary about the thought, only because she occasionally had the nagging thought there was something in Vale she was searching for and hadn't yet found. When Roman was around, that thought was far in the back of her mind. Having him at her side in the fight or beside her now to reassure her troubled mind… in those moments, Neo couldn't imagine what else she needed.

* * *

She hadn't thought it possible, that Roman could ever be captured. He was so good at eluding the authorities –even the huntsmen- that Neo immediately concluded his capture had been part of the raven-haired woman's plans all along. She was removing a variable in her plan, casting aside someone she no longer had a need for.

Neo knew what it was to disappear because others didn't see your value. She would _not_ lose the man who had never once recoiled from seeing her eyes. She would not let this stranger trying to toy with their lives decide their fate.

So when she approached Neo with a plan that called for Neo's inclusion, Neo demanded a price: that she free Roman from the ship he'd been incarcerated within and he play his part in whatever grand scheme was on the horizon. Survival was what Roman promised Neo by taking her under his wing, and she very much wanted to return his generosity.

She'd never been so happy as when she freed him from the Atlesian soldiers who imprisoned him, then watched him destroy more of his former captors with their own ship. Neo thought circling in the sky with Roman inside a warship -even surrounded by a horde of Grimm in the skies- that she'd been able to repay her debt to him and kept him safe.

Then one of the Beacon students, the young, inexperienced Ruby Rose… Neo hesitated for a moment, captivated by Roman's words, and the little girl in red took advantage of her inattention and forced her off the top of the Atlas flagship. She heard Roman cry after her as she was flung into the open air, in a sky crowded with Grimm and towards campus grounds choked with more of their ilk.

And then once she'd landed safely she saw the ship fall and crash, and fought her way to the site of the wreckage, fighting her way through the innumerable Grimm wandering the devastated school and found…

Neo didn't know all the circumstances. There could've been some drastic change, some extenuating circumstance… but when she found his hat amidst the wreckage, and no other trace, no other remainder of him… she had only one conclusion she could reach: Ruby Rose was alive, and Roman Torchwick was dead.

She pressed his hat close to her chest, trying to force the pain back down into her body, trying not to let the suffering she'd felt overpower her need to honor him. As Neo had failed to ensure his survival, her duty to him now was to avenge his death.

Ruby Rose took away the one person in all the world who never feared her, never shunned her, never used her… the one person in the world she loved. Ruby Rose would die, and the last thing she'd see was Neo standing over her, just as she had atop the Atlas ship. She would not hesitate again.

Looking back on the school crumbling, infested by incalculable numbers of Grimm, Neo felt it again… that there was something missing from her life, something in Vale that might give her the answer she'd been seeking. Only now she no longer had Roman to put her concerns out of her mind. All she could think of was what she had lost and what she was missing.

Maybe those thoughts would always haunt her now. Or maybe they'd only haunt her as long as Ruby Rose lived.

* * *

 _Today_

Coco had successfully instructed Yatsuhashi to join the others going to defend the perimeter, but hadn't yet found the rest of her team. She _hoped_ Fox and Velvet had simply been caught distracted, enjoying their downtime together when the alarm went off and had simply been delayed. After several minutes of trying to find them at the battlements, however…

Glynda, Port, Oobleck, Cardin, and Yatsuhashi were all searching for the point of incursion. There was no sign of Grimm on the safe zone border, and the limited number of Atlesian soldiers still left manning their posts seemed every bit as befuddled as the hunters who came to hold the line.

Coco glanced back at the relief center. There were a handful of stragglers still scampering about who hadn't yet made it to the safehouse -which made for a pretty terrible response time in a crisis- but what eventually caught Coco's attention were Fox and Velvet, the former looking particularly troubled as he sniffed ground and air in equal measure.

Coco was reluctant to leave the front, but as there didn't seem to be a single Grimm actually attacking them, she discreetly slipped back inside to find out what her teammates were up to. She was a bit less discreet when prodding them for information. "Uh, guys? What are you doing?"

Velvet seemed quite relieved to see Coco. "Fox is convinced he's found something. He's been chasing the scent this whole time, just waiting for the rest of the people to get out of the way so he can track it down."

Fox turned his attention to Coco. There was no point in him _looking_ at her, but he faced her nonetheless, calling Coco's attention to him. He managed to refrain from sniffing his leader, but Fox was clearly interested in _something_ he detected on Coco's person.

"Fox?" Coco inquired.

"Coco," Fox greeted, his nose still twitching. His face ran the gamut of emotions, from confusion, to concern, to a brief flash of anger… and Coco suddenly realized what he was about to ask. "It's her, isn't it?"

"Her?" Velvet repeated.

Coco wasn't sure what to tell him. She'd deliberately avoided letting him on what she knew; including that Neo was even still alive. She should've known Fox would pick up her scent after Coco went to meet with her. "Yes," Coco reluctantly admitted. "I went and-"

"She's here," Fox explained, before breathlessly exclaiming: "She's _alive_."

"Fox, I know what you're thinking," Coco began, trying to keep him calm. If anything could provoke a strong emotional response from him, it was this. "I was… honestly, I don't know if I was going to tell you. I wasn't sure it was real myself, at least not at first. When I saw her again-"

"I smell her on you now," Fox confirmed, before clarifying further. "But she's walked in places you haven't. She's not just lingering, Coco, she's _here_."

Coco had intended to argue the point, that Fox was simply detecting what he wanted to, and that he should stop obsessing so much before he started to worry Velvet. But as Coco thought on the matter further, she noticed how empty the relief center had become. If their strongest hunters were off defending the border from a Grimm attack, then there'd be no one around to protect their vulnerable little base. But what would she be after? Who would even be-

Who would even be there but the father and sister of Ruby Rose, who flung Neo off an airship during the Battle of Beacon?

Coco found herself running towards the barracks. She heard Velvet cry after her, but didn't reply. Minutes earlier she'd reached an understanding with Yang and had been mere moments from going to talk to Tai about working things out.

Moments that could now be the difference between one or both of them being alive or dead.

* * *

When Coco barged into the barracks she transformed her minigun and searched, spotting Neo standing over Tai and Yang, crumpled on the ground, a bloody wound in Tai's back. Neo turned her attention to Coco, tilting her head and giving Coco a curious look.

Coco was tired of Neo playing coy and unwilling to indulge her any further. Her first instinct was to squeeze the trigger and light the short girl up with gunfire, but in the enclosed space Coco might accidentally hit Tai or Yang, if either still lived.

Neo narrowed her eyes and leveled the blade in her umbrella down at Tai again. With her free hand Neo gestured at Coco to leave. It seemed they were still alive at least, or Neo wouldn't bother trying to barter. But if Coco accepted the instruction, they'd likely be dead the moment she turned her back.

"Neo," Coco called, still keeping her old friend in her sights and her finger on the trigger, "Let them go."

Neo shook her head, glaring at Coco, nudging her blade closer to Tai's back. Coco winced, and Neo prodded him with the already bloodied tip. Had she realized Tai was the man Coco had spoken to her about?

Even if Coco fired on Neo now, Neo would be able to stab him again. She'd probably kill him before Coco managed to discharge her first shot. Coco could faintly see Tai's back rising and falling, and saw Yang's chest doing the same. If Neo aimed correctly, she could skewer them both.

Again Neo waved Coco off, trying to convince her to leave. Coco narrowed her eyes and took a step forward, trying to close the distance a little bit and line up a better shot. Neo glared at her, leveling her left hand and pointing at Coco with her index finger.

If Coco just kept the standoff going a while longer, the teachers would filter back and Neo would be surrounded. Or Fox and Velvet might find their way in… but that might not actually be all that helpful, since Neo hadn't reacted to Fox's name when Coco brought him up.

She had to do _something_ to stay Neo's hand, but wasn't sure how to proceed. Coco wasn't sure just how much Neo had changed since she disappeared on the mission, but she'd obviously been taught some dangerous perspectives. And if she truly felt cornered, Coco suspected she might react violently and kill everything she could before she was taken down.

Coco decided to stop thinking of ways to outfight or outlast her. She looked down at Tai again, and took another step, measuring the distance and the length of her stride. Neo had tired of warnings and reared her blade back.

Coco transformed her minigun back into a handbag and moved, leaping into the gap between Neo and Tai. Coco threw up her hands on either side of her head, dropping her weapon to the ground and leaving herself in the path of Neo's attack.

Neo held her blade to Coco's neck, clearly incensed by her intervention. She gave Coco a small nick just below her chin, letting her former teammate know she was displeased.

"You want him?" Coco asked. "He's right behind me."

In close proximity Coco would see Neo use her tricks and notice if she tried to move around. Without the heavy weight of her weapon impairing her movement, Coco could block her strike before it landed. One way or another, Neo would have to get rid of Coco before she could land a blow on Tai.

Neo glared at her, recognizing the obstacle in her path. Neo was no longer in danger of being shot, but now she'd have to kill someone she didn't actually _want_ to kill.

Better than Coco hoped; at least Neo was hesitating. That just gave her time to think about what she was doing: risking her life to save a man she'd only become interested in a few weeks ago, a man whose love for his daughter would always outweigh-

No. A man _she loved_. In spite of that. It didn't matter that she had her life ahead of her and could find happiness elsewhere in the world, because something that made her happy was in need of her protection right now. It didn't matter what Tai felt for her or what his priorities were, because Coco had decided how she felt and would figure out the rest once she made sure Taiyang knew it too. It didn't matter if she died now, because defending those in need was what she'd devoted her life to do, whatever other options she may have had.

Neo had been her friend once. Either that would be enough to stop her or it wouldn't. Either Coco was right about Neo or she wasn't.

Neo -for her part- was strangled by indecision, knowing that she was hesitating to get her revenge, knowing that she wasn't honoring her silent promise to Roman. And why? Because at one time in her life this brown-eyed girl had been her friend? She hadn't been a friend to Neo when Neo was alone and wounded amidst a horde of Grimm. She hadn't been there to offer Neo a guiding hand when she needed it most.

They had a bond once, but to Neo that seemed a lifetime ago. Whatever Coco had been to her, she wasn't the part of herself that had gone missing. Coco wasn't what Neo had lingered in this place searching for, and revenge was just behind her.

Neo reared back her arm again. Coco continued to stare determinedly ahead as her death drew closer.

"Neo!"

There were very few things in life that scared Neo. Hearing disapproval in his voice was her greatest fear of all.

Again she turned and she saw him, standing in the barracks door. He'd picked up quite a few scars, marring his dark skin. His hair was a bit longer than Neo recalled, but every bit as messy. He still had his cowlick.

But more pressing than anything else were his eyes, his beautiful pools of empty white. He couldn't see her with them, but he could stare through her with them like no one else. He could look upon her multicolored eyes without fear or trepidation, and pierce any illusion she could hope to cast by following her scent or hearing her breathing.

In that instant it all flooded back to her. Initiation, when he deciphered her location despite her disguise. In the dorm, where she steadily grew closer with him, bound in their unspoken understanding. After their first real brush with death, when she sat at the foot of his bed and reached down to take his hand in her own. The mission outside the kingdom, when he held onto her hand and tried to pull her into the Bullhead, only for her to slip through his fingers and watch him disappear from sight as she fell.

The missing piece of herself… the part of her Roman had been able to replace…

"Stop, please," Fox requested, pleading with her. "You don't have to hurt anyone else. You don't have to continue being alone. We can help you. You can come back."

Neo wanted desperately to believe it. So long as she had one soul in the world who believed in her, she could stay her hand and not be someone so callous as to kill a former friend just because she got in her way…

But then who would grieve for Roman Torchwick? Who would carry on his flame if she were to stop now? What would she say to him if she met him again in the next life? That she could have avenged him but decided not to because her old boyfriend showed up at an inconvenient moment?

Love was a terrible thing when it demanded she choose which was more important to her: the man who took her in and treated her like a daughter or the man she'd fallen in love with? How was it possible for her to decide when she'd have to live with the knowledge she'd failed one or the other?

"Please," Fox said again, stepping towards her. "This isn't you."

But it _was_. It _had_ to be. If Neo abandoned her mission, Roman would have died for nothing and would be forgotten. Neo could mourn him all she wished, but would words ever be spoken of him again? Would anyone remember the criminal when the only one who saw the good in him could never speak a word in his defense?

And if she d _id_ accept Fox's offer and return to the fold, would he be strong enough to protect her from those who'd want revenge for Beacon? She knew Fox was better than most people, she had faith that he would try, that he would fight with all he could for her, but she had also picked her strategy to avoid fighting those stronger than herself- and stronger than Fox. It didn't matter how good Fox was if anyone fighting alongside him shared Neo's need to avenge those they'd lost, even by proxy.

She had longed to see him again, even remained in this place where she had to be constantly reminded of the loss of Roman in search of this missing part of herself… and she couldn't have it. She couldn't return to him, and if she wanted to kill these relatives of Ruby Rose she'd have to leave him even more alone by robbing him of another friend. She wanted to just lower her blade, to run over and embrace him, to feel him one more time… but she decided her course.

Fox knew what her hesitation meant. He knew which way she'd lean and reached out towards her. "Neo-"

She turned her head and looked down at Coco. Seeing those determined brown eyes was far easier, even if it meant giving Coco the satisfaction of seeing Neo's vulnerability. Anything but to look at Fox and know what she was about to give up.

"Even now?" Coco asked, genuinely surprised.

Neo closed her eyes. Coco watched a single tear run down her right cheek.

"No!" Fox shouted, rushing over. Coco looked on, watching that single tear fall from Neo's cheek and splatter on the floor. Fox reached towards her shoulder, but barely a touch and she shattered to pieces, her illusion gradually vanishing, one fragment at a time. Fox desperately scoured the barracks for the real Neo, rushing back to the door and trying to follow her scent or listen for her footsteps, clearly distraught at having lost her. Coco went to collect her weapon –just in case Neo had second thoughts- and then turned her attention to Tai and Yang, helping her lover up, supporting him on her shoulder.

"Coco?" Tai groggily inquired. Coco raised her index finger up to his lips and glanced past him, to Yang, still on the floor, breathing hard and fast and thrashing about. Coco helped Tai to sit down in the cot and knelt down beside Yang, reaching a hand down to hold her trembling shoulder, and felt the intensity of her rapid pulse even there.

Yang's eyes were unfocused, and she was rocking back and forth on the hard ground. Coco lifted her up into a sitting position and pulled her into a hug, resting Yang's head against her shoulder. "It's okay. She's gone. It's over."

Yang was still trembling, but she was starting to slow in her movements. Coco squeezed her tighter, letting Yang put weight on her and holding her close. Eventually, Yang accepted this gesture and squeezed Coco back with her left hand, her breathing slowly returning to normal and her heartrate steadying.

Slowly Yang's eyes regained their focus as she looked past Coco to Tai on the cot. "Dad!" She managed to squirm out of Coco's grip and rush to his side, looking at the still-bleeding wound in his back and taking hold of his right hand in her left.

"You okay, sweetie?" Tai inquired, voice still slurred.

"Enough about me," Yang snapped. "You're hurt- you need to see the medics…"

"Nah, no need," Tai argued, however faintly. "I think I got the _point_."

"You idiot," Coco snapped. "She's just trying to help."

Yang's expression turned dark. "He is. In his own stupid way."

"I'm okay, really," Tai assured. "After all, it was just _a little prick_."

Was he… making puns?

" _Dad_ jokes," Yang clarified, seemingly reading Coco's mind.

Coco sighed. "Well, once he's finished we should get a medic to look at him. How long's he going to be?"

"Depends," Yang replied.

"Really, I didn't need all this blood anyway," Tai continued. "That's the _sworded_ truth."

"You sure you still want him?" Yang asked, managing a small smile.

Coco sighed. "He's grown on me a bit."

She reached down to take hold of Tai's left hand with her right, using her free hand to cobble out a message to Glynda while she sat beside him on the cot, listening to him continue to make the most terrible puns, to his daughter's growing amusement.

* * *

Fox scrambled around the relief center in search of Neo, following the scent as best he could. The hunters were starting to find their way back from the border, and all the new smells were obscuring his senses, making his task exponentially more difficult. He couldn't give up now, not when he was so close, not when he could still persuade Neo…

"Fox."

He couldn't be distracted now. Not even for her.

"Fox," she tried again, still gentle, but just a little firmer.

Neo was quick, but she'd also try and mask her step. If Fox kept pace he could find Neo before she left the safe zone, or if not, then surely before she left the kingdom. If he could just hold her again, he'd give Neo the reason she needed to stay.

"Fox," she finally lost her patience and took hold of his wrist. Fox struggled in her grip, still trying to pursue Neo. He didn't want her to take hold of him, he didn't want her to soothe his anguish now, because he'd lose Neo again, possibly for good.

"Fox, stop," Velvet whispered. "Let her go."

Fox continued to struggle. He didn't want to hear her words, because no matter how harsh they may have been, the lilt in her voice would ensnare him. Hearing disappointment in her voice was one of the very few things in this world he feared.

"Please," Velvet requested. "You talked her down. You saved Coco and Yang and her dad. All you have to do now is stop."

She was right. He _should_ have stopped himself, because no matter how genuine his feelings, this was more obsession than love guiding him now. Fox was chasing a ghost that may well have loved him back, but decided to remain with the other specters and not with him.

 _Velvet_ remained with him, even after he left her side to chase after that ghost. Whatever he'd done to deserve her, it could never possibly be enough.

Finally, Fox relented, relaxing in Velvet's grip and standing still. Velvet reached up to take hold of either of his cheeks, pulling his head down to her shoulder and resting her chin on his forehead.

No doubt she'd want a thorough explanation for his behavior, and she was due one. No doubt he'd have to explain this strange sequence of events and detail his relationship with Neo to her, but Velvet had grace enough to wait for him to be in a better place.

And beside her, in her embrace, Fox was quickly finding his way there.

* * *

The medics were quick to work on Tai once they returned to the relief center. Coco reported on Neo's actions to Glynda, though she opted not to go into detail about the exact roles she and Fox had played in talking Neo down. Neo –ever mercurial and unpredictable- had up and left after stabbing Tai and being confronted by her former teammates. Glynda concluded she'd just departed when facing a disadvantageous situation, and Coco made no effort to correct her.

Perhaps she should've explained all the details, but Coco had no desire to turn Glynda's suspicions towards Fox. Better to keep Glynda speculating on Coco's relationship issues rather than questioning Fox's loyalty; better the leader of Team CFVY be the one to carry the burden and suffer the consequence.

Glynda left to go check on their security systems and search for a way to prevent this sabotage and subterfuge from occurring again. Coco took a moment to catch up with her teammates, though only briefly, as Velvet and Fox had their own matters to deal with, and Yatsuhashi had managed to come through the strange day _without_ any romantic drama to weigh on his mind, and the others opted not to burden him. There'd be time to discuss their wayward former comrade another day. Coco offered use of her apartment to Fox and Velvet so they could have some privacy with what was sure to be a long conversation.

Coco then found her way over to the barracks, to the cot set up for Tai beside his daughter's. Yang was nearby, but made her way over to Coco and out of her dad's earshot. She led Coco by the arm just a bit further away, though it took her a few seconds to speak. "Thank you."

"I'm glad I could help," Coco assured her.

"That wasn't just help," Yang replied. "She –Neo- could've killed you. And you leapt in front of my dad knowing she could've killed you."

"That's what we do," Coco reminded her.

"Will you shut up and take the compliment?" Yang requested. "You… I knew you were serious, but I didn't realize you lo-"

"Please," Coco interjected. "Let me say it first."

Yang waited expectantly.

"To him," Coco clarified.

Yang smiled and waved her arm. Coco stepped past her to Tai's cot, while Yang wandered over, past the other refugees in the barracks to Cardin, where she made a point to thank him for finding her when she'd suffered a traumatic episode (and maybe give Coco a bit of time to say her piece).

Tai was recuperating in his cot, but sat up when Coco arrived. He gestured for her to sit down beside him, and she obliged him. "Thanks for saving my little girl."

"She thanked me herself," Coco pointed out. "And she wasn't the only one I was there to save."

"Yeah, your little friend there's stronger than she looks," Tai agreed, rotating his arm and wincing a bit at the stiffness in his back. "I think she gave me a new scar."

Coco rolled her eyes before focusing her attention on him, removing her sunglasses. Once Tai's blue eyes found her brown ones, his attention was wholly on her. "And thank you. For saving me, too."

"I had something I needed to tell you," Coco explained. "I wasn't going to let you get off easy and die before you heard it."

"I had something to tell you too," Tai agreed. "Something I should've said before; something you deserved to know."

They were both quiet for a few seconds as each waited for the other to speak, then both began: "I lo-"

Again they were silent, just looking into each other's eyes.

"I love you," Coco quietly admitted.

"I love you, too," Tai answered.

Coco reached over and found his hand, still not breaking her gaze. "I'm sorry I overreacted. I'm sorry I didn't realize why you needed to go."

"I'm sorry I took so long to tell you this, and I'm sorry I've never been good at explanations," Tai replied. "I'm sorry that all I could do was say I was sorry."

"We need to get better at talking," Coco suggested. Tai nodded, as Coco reached her free hand up to his cheek. Feeling his warmth again, drawing him in closer…

"Coco?" Tai asked.

"Never mind, talking's overrated," Coco decided.

"Yeah," Tai agreed, leaning in.

They hesitated just a moment, glancing back at the various refugees in the barracks with them. No one was staring, but undoubtedly someone would notice once they started up. They weren't very good at stopping once they'd started.

Tai was the first one to break through his doubts and kissed her. Coco was only a step behind him and was quick to snatch the lead. Let them look. Let them judge. She was in love with him and he was in love with her.

And he still had a wound. "Ow, ow, ow, ow," Tai mumbled into her mouth.

"Sorry," Coco whispered, finding a more comfortable position and taking the lead again, taking in another long kiss before curling up against his side, resting with him in the cot. She wrapped her arm over Tai's midsection and found a comfortable groove beside her lover.

She felt warm again, at last. And Taiyang's wound hurt far less with Coco there to turn his attention from it.

And Yang, watching the two out of the corner of her eye a good distance away, found that she didn't mind watching her dad kiss a girl quite as much as she expected to. She'd need time to get used to it, of course, but this was a promising sign.

When she watched Coco and her dad just lie beside each other, she realized maybe she could just be pleased that her friends and family found happiness together.

* * *

Neo found herself looking back at Vale from the border of Forever Fall. She wasn't sure how to feel about Fox not following after her; grateful nothing had tried to tempt her back, or disappointed he hadn't chased after her.

He was her missing piece, and it seemed cruel to know he'd remain missing. Worse, he'd probably be opposed to her if she tried to attack Ruby Rose's family again. He may have loved Neo –even now- but he hadn't let that love turn to an obsession strong enough to make him cross the lines she had.

It hurt to leave the only other person who'd loved her. But she had to avenge Roman's death. She had to remember him, because no one else would. She had to carry on his legacy in deed, because she'd never be able to put it in words.

Neo adjusted his hat upon her head, finding a comfortable place for it to rest and continued north, leaving her love behind to honor her word to another.


	8. Third Chances

**Chapter Eight: Third Chances**

* * *

 _The Past_

Taiyang knew he should've been able to respond to Yang's prompting. It wasn't fair that she suddenly needed to grow up and take care of her little sister because their father couldn't take up the responsibilities he should have. It wasn't fair that she had to be the adult in the room because Tai wasn't strong or motivated enough to put in the effort his children needed.

He'd been there before, falling into a deep depression because his wife had disappeared without notice, abandoning him and his daughter for whatever reason she'd come up with but hadn't bothered to share. But when he'd fallen hardest, Summer had been there to pick him up, stepping into the void left behind by Raven. She'd treated Yang as her own, and never once forgotten that love when Ruby came along, always being the mother her children needed her to be. Her love and support prevented Tai from succumbing to despair, and thus Yang had always seen her father in a positive light.

He fell hard for Summer just as he had Raven, but Tai often felt dependent on Summer for his own happiness. The sight of her smile, the sound of her breathing, the feel of her sleeping beside him… those things weren't merely part of his life now, but part of _him_ , and seemed irreplaceable.

And when she was gone, when part of him was missing, he wasn't able to go on without it, even with two small lives depending on him to do just that. Only by Yang's fierce determination and what little energy Tai could muster did they manage to hold together. He wondered how it had affected his daughters; Ruby may have been too young to understand it all, but Yang would undoubtedly recall seeing Tai falter, and have reason to question his strength and reliability. He hated to think what it'd be like, to see his daughter disappointed in him, to know that he'd failed her, to know she had reason – _good_ reason- to doubt him.

Tai shifted his focus. He may not have had his wife –either of his wives- but he had his daughters, and they were part of him now too, and he a part of each of them. He may never recover the missing piece of himself, but he could fill the gulf just the same. As Summer stepped in to pull him out, Tai used the thought of his children to force himself back up when he'd fallen. He had to keep going for their sake and ensure Yang didn't grow up too fast without him.

There were stumbles, to be sure; things he had to try and things he had to learn as sole provider, but he had what he needed. It may not have been enough to remove the pain of his loss, but it was enough he could forget for a time and smile at his daughters. He had children; he wasn't alone. He would never be alone again.

They were all he needed now.

* * *

 _Today_

Fox was quiet for a long time, and Velvet was patient with him, indulging him his emotions, letting him compose his thoughts and speak his piece. Coco's apartment gave them comfortable places to sit and privacy from a bunch of refugee onlookers –or worse, their former teachers and classmates- and for nearly the first hour of their stay they'd barely spoken to one another. Fox knew he'd have to account for himself eventually, but even for all his preparation he wasn't sure where to begin.

Velvet knew she wasn't the first woman he'd loved. She knew that at one time his partner's death had been what made him so cold and withdrawn before she met him, and very nearly ruined their first meeting because of how difficult it was to accept a replacement. Yet Fox had been able to move past that, to not project his own sadness onto Velvet or allow her to accept any blame for his own failings, and to welcome her into a team when she didn't feel she belonged, jumped ahead of other first-years onto a second-year team. Fox put his sorrow aside and helped her through her doubts and gave her support, and she found her place in her teammates and her happiness… happiness that in turn would become Fox's happiness.

What Velvet _hadn't_ known was the woman Fox loved before was the same woman who tried to kill Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long, the former one of Velvet's closest friends and the latter the girl Velvet had been tending to. No doubt Velvet was displeased with Coco for having kept that piece of information to herself, but her attention was first on Fox, and how he'd been torn… and possibly how he'd been tempted.

She was patient, but only to a point. Eventually, rolling her feet back and forth on Coco's couch, Velvet finally spoke up: "If you're not going to talk, maybe you can listen instead."

Fox nodded and settled in. Velvet sat up a little straighter, taking a deep breath before she began in earnest. "I don't know if she was always the person she is now, and I believe that whoever you saw before, whoever you _loved_ \- that person is just as real as the one we saw today, going after Yang and Coco. I believe that she once had the same values you do, or at least aspired to the same things you wanted. I know that Coco and Yatsuhashi once believed in her too, and you can't inspire that kind of confidence if there isn't something good in you that other people can see."

Velvet was correct; Neo had been well-liked by her teammates, even if they could only ever speculate on her thoughts. Fox could hear her heartbeat and measure the lengths of each of her breaths, and knew when she was genuine in her intent. She may not have wanted to be a hero or a guardian or even a huntress, but she'd wanted to use her talents, and she'd decided to use them for good.

Velvet continued. "But somewhere along the way she changed, or she forgot, or she stopped caring-"

"She never stopped caring," Fox interjected. He was surprised he vocalized his thoughts; it was very rare he interrupted or talked over her. He knew how difficult it had been for Velvet to speak her mind, especially at first, and how easily she had held her tongue and desperately tried not to be noticed, even with her teammates. At times, even with him.

But those days were in the past. "Because she decided not to kill someone?" Velvet inquired. "Because she wasn't willing to kill Coco –or maybe even kill you- just to get to the person she was really after?"

Velvet wasn't trying to be cruel, only to assert herself; Fox could hear it clearly in her tone and in her pulse. She was only trying to remind him that he shouldn't forget the crimes Neo had attempted –and implicitly, the ones Neo committed- because at one time Fox had loved her.

"What do you want me to say?" Fox asked her. "That I disapprove of the person she's become? That I stopped feeling the way I felt then because of what I know now?"

He _did_ disapprove. He wasn't sure what he felt for her now, because there was no longer a clear way to explain his thoughts. He simply couldn't let go of how he'd felt before he lost her, and how he'd felt long after, and how he'd felt very shortly beforehand, when he'd told Coco that he'd never truly moved on from that love, merely found a different love that filled the void her loss had left. Fox tried not to think of Velvet as a replacement, or as a second choice… just the person he loved now, the part of his life that had once been filled by someone else, been lost, and now filled by her.

But Velvet forced his hand. "I want you to say that you understand what she is now. I want you to accept that things have changed for her. _And_ for you."

That last part was very pointed. She wasn't simply asking him to move on, but to _accept_ what he had. She was making it clear where she stood, and asking Fox to clearly state he was with her. Not in so many words, but with the way he and Velvet could listen to each other, they'd always know what message their words were meant to convey. They simply couldn't be subtle when they heard the pace of every heartbeat and the strength of every breath.

Fox was quiet for several seconds. He didn't want to simply give up on Neo. Not because he wanted to rush back to her arms, but…

He felt himself clench his fingers, recalling her hand slipping from his, hearing her soft gasp as she fell into the open air and down towards a horde of Grimm…

"I just wanted to help her," Fox explained. "I just wanted to show her she could come back. I just wanted her to know she wasn't alone."

Fox had known what it was to be alone. Even when he had two close friends at his side, he'd been alone, processing his pain and suffering each day without anyone to fall back on, because someone so important as to become _part of him_ was gone, and he thought gone forever. Even with Coco and Yatsuhashi trying to help him, he'd felt alone until Velvet managed to pull him back.

"I know," Velvet acknowledged, "I know you did. And you tried. She chose this for herself, Fox. I know you understand that."

Fox wished he knew more. He wanted to know how she'd survived, where she'd gone, who she'd met, what adventures she'd gone on, and why she'd become who she was now. He wanted to know it all, but more than anything else he just wanted to listen to her again, and hear what no one else could.

Yet she ran. Maybe she had her reasons, maybe that was just who she was now. Fox wanted to believe there were extenuating circumstances, but none that he could think of that justified trying to kill someone while they were wounded and helpless.

He and Coco had differences, and Fox was still upset she'd withheld this information from him. But he couldn't ever imagine wanting to do her harm. And for what? What had Neo hoped to gain from it? There was so much he didn't know that he wished he could understand. For a very long time, he'd been the only one who'd understood her. Whatever she was now, whatever she'd become, he still didn't want her to be alone if there was any hope at all to remind her of the better person she'd been.

Velvet understood him, and knew what his silence meant. She was waiting for him to accept her terms, and the longer he hesitated, the more she wondered if she might lose him to the woman he'd loved before.

Some small piece of him may have wanted that, for things to be like they were before. Some part of him wished he could simply pick up where he left off, but he tried to convince himself he had more honorable intentions: just to help her, so she wouldn't have to suffer with all her losses alone. He could think of nothing worse than being alone with despair, and no greater guilt than knowing he could help pull her out of it, only to stay his hand and leave her behind.

It was hard to move forward when he kept trying to hold a hand that always slipped through his fingers. It was hard to believe someone he'd loved could have fallen so far. It was hard to accept that he might've lost her a second time and done nothing.

It was harder hearing disappointment in each breath Velvet took. It was harder to know the woman he loved had reason to doubt him. It was harder trying to imagine living without her by chasing after something that –by all appearances- he'd already lost. Velvet was a part of him now too.

"Yes, I know," Fox finally said. "I get it. I just… I guess I don't know how to stop loving someone. I used to know how to be alone. I don't anymore."

Velvet nodded. "And you're _not_ , Fox." She lifted herself from the couch and walked over to him, so close he could make out every detail of her through every breath she took and every beat of her heart. So close he could see her, at least in his way.

"I couldn't possibly deserve you," Fox muttered to himself.

"You must be better than you think you are," Velvet assured him, sitting down beside him, resting her head to his shoulder and embracing him at his side.

The past had come calling, and for a brief moment, Fox had faltered. Velvet took hold of him and kept his feet on the ground, and kept him from chasing after a ghost. That was how he'd remember this day's events.

"What will you do if she comes back?" Velvet asked.

He knew what she wanted him to say. He knew she hoped, no matter how complex his feelings might have been, he at least knew right from wrong. She wished that, no matter how much she might enjoy the power of his feelings for _her_ , his feelings for Neo could eventually change or even fade.

"I'll try to help her, convince her that she's done wrong," Fox said. "But if she won't be swayed… it'll be like you said. She'll make her choice."

He couldn't completely hide his doubt, and she heard it. He knew she heard it. But she seemed content that he'd had strength and resolve enough to say it, even though it troubled him. Maybe she understood how hard it was to move on.

For the moment, however, there was the night ahead, and the two listening to each other's heartbeats, finding their common element, and slowly but surely forgetting their respective doubts.

* * *

After a night of observation, the medics patched up Taiyang and –though they offered to let him remain, cramped though the barracks could be- he and Yang were on their way. They were each longing for a shower and a change of clothes and a good night's rest in their cottage, and while Coco wasn't eager to have Tai leave right after they'd patched things up, she took it upon herself to see them off.

It was a strange feeling, at first, trying to walk alongside the father and daughter as they engaged in their banter. She felt a bit out of place, especially whenever Tai realized Coco had been left out and tried to include her in their conversation. Yang seemed accommodating of her, but Coco wasn't sure where to contribute in their ongoing and escalating warfare of puns and bad jokes. Presumably this was how the Xiao Longs dealt with injury and assault: attempts at humor.

Terrible as their puns and Dad jokes might've been, Coco felt some genuine difficulty separating from Taiyang when he made his way to the ship back to Patch. No matter how grimy he was after his unplanned stay in Vale, Coco didn't want to let him go. She'd finally told him she loved him –and he told him he loved her- just hours beforehand, and she wanted to soak all that up and savor its taste as long as she could.

She was sure some of those looking on -boarding their own ships away from Vale- wondered what they saw when she embraced him, but that was a thought far in the back of her mind now. Whatever doubts she'd had, whatever concerns might've once troubled her were the opinions of people who weren't in Taiyang's embrace and didn't know his love. She needed nothing more than his love to find contentment.

Yang prodded her dad in the back. "Guys."

Tai nodded. "Okay, sweetie."

When he released his embrace, he took his time in letting go completely, his hand sliding down Coco's arm and taking her hand in his own, holding it just a bit too long, like he had that on that first trip into Beacon, pulling her into the Bullhead. He looked her in the eye again, only barely managing to tear himself away and turn around.

Then he turned right back around and kissed her, holding her close for just a few moments, the cool breeze over the sea pushing her caramel lock against his messy blonde hair. She brought her hand up to hold his cheek and make the moment last just a little longer.

Finally –for real this time- he let her go and boarded the ship with his daughter, putting a protective arm over her shoulder as they returned home together.

Coco wasn't sure how long it'd be until she saw him again, but at least when they parted this time she was confident she would.

* * *

When Coco returned to the relief center, she found Fox sitting in his usual corner, waiting with her apartment key. Coco took a deep breath and steeled herself, anticipating what was about to happen. He didn't seem any more despondent than usual, so hopefully things were okay between him and Velvet. Things between him and Coco, on the other hand…

"I just want to get this out in the open," Fox told her. "Because I don't ever want us to doubt each other. I want us to call each other friend and be genuine when we do."

"I never had any reason not to be," Coco assured him.

"Then why didn't you tell me about Neo?" Fox asked her, cutting right to the point.

It was hard for her to justify, so she tried the most direct and honest approach. "I didn't want you to be hurt again."

"And now?" Fox pressed her.

"Now…" Coco thought on how to proceed, and again tried to be blunt. "Now we know who she really is. We don't have anything else to hide from each other. She's not our… _friend_ anymore."

It was Fox's turn to be quiet, if only briefly before he could articulate his thoughts. "And if you see or hear from her again?"

Coco found it surprisingly easy to say: "I'll share it with you. I promise."

Fox nodded. "That's all I need." He seemed content to leave it at that, reaching into his pocket to return Coco her key, before pausing for a moment, considering on his course of action before he spoke again. "Velvet and I had a long talk last night, and there was a lot for me to think on. And one thing I decided is I can't be alone… at least not anymore. So I want you to know that wherever you go, and whatever you decide, I am with you. From now until the end."

Coco had always known Fox to be loyal and dependable, even at his lowest. But this was an unprecedented display of loyalty, especially after all he'd lost fighting under her command. Coco and Fox may have been at odds at times, but this was everything she'd ever hoped to hear from him. "Thank you, Fox."

He finished his action and retrieved her apartment key, holding it flat in his palm. When Coco accepted it, she wrapped both of her hands over his own, holding her friend for just a moment.

She relaxed her grip as Velvet and Yatsuhashi made their way over to join them at their corner table. Velvet slid in beside Fox, looking quite pleased to be there. Yatsuhashi, blissfully separate from all the romantic entanglements of the past few months and all the drama it had entailed, reported to them on the Grimm's movements inside Beacon, and how they might try to reclaim something from Beacon tower if they could persuade Glynda to give them the assignment.

Coco glanced from their table at Glynda eating with Port and Oobleck. When Glynda saw Coco's brown eyes on her, it was Glynda who averted her gaze. Maybe she'd realized her error in warning Coco, or felt bad for benching them and having to rely on the team she'd specifically taken off duty to defuse a hostage situation while she was chasing a false alarm. Maybe she just wasn't willing to fight anymore.

Coco was certain Glynda would agree to let them undertake a dangerous mission. Pulling off the hard jobs was what Team CFVY _did_ , and confidently moving forward -whatever challenge life had to present her with- was what _Coco_ did.

Coco lowered her shades to wink at her teammates and sauntered over to her former teachers to make her request.

* * *

Yang had finally taken to wearing the arm Ironwood had sent to her, and her dad had been on-hand to spar with her. He'd even remained on Patch for a full two weeks in a row, doing nothing but training with her and getting her back into fighting shape. Yang knew he wanted to go to Vale and see his girlfriend, but Taiyang just wouldn't leave his daughter now that she'd finally hit her stride.

As a child, she recalled seeing him in a state of depression, not unlike the one she'd fallen into after Beacon, where he could barely summon the energy to do the simplest tasks and withdrew from his loved ones while he processed his loss and worked through his pain. He started to recover after Yang had stepped up to take care of Ruby, concluding it wasn't fair for his daughter to sacrifice her happiness for the sake of someone she loved if he wasn't willing to do the same.

It still hurt him not knowing where Ruby was. Now that Yang felt herself pulled back, it was hurting her too, thinking about what lay ahead for her. Strange as it felt to adjust to her new arm, being without someone she loved was a far more difficult change to accept.

So she didn't accept it. She did something about it, and stepped out to the edge of the forest outside their cottage, to the grave marker where Summer Rose lay. Yang quietly mouthed the inscription: _thus kindly, I scatter_.

"Hey," Yang greeted, not sure which title to go with. "Just wanted to stop by and see you before I headed out again. I'm not planning on being back for a while, and wanted to let you in on some of the stuff you might've missed.

"Dad has a girlfriend now," Yang told her. "And you have no idea how weird that sounds when I say it. I never imagined it; the thought never crossed my mind. And I really didn't get it at first, because of how young she was, and… well, you know… _Dad_.

"But when we finally met up we had a good talk, and I really understood how she felt," Yang continued. "And then, when Dad was in trouble, she dropped everything and went to save him. She could've _died_ saving him. How am I supposed to disapprove of her after I saw her do that? How am I supposed to think my Dad's done wrong when it's pretty clear he knows how to pick 'em?"

Yang put her left hand in her pocket, whimsically rocking back and forth. "I want you to know I'm going to go find my mother… I'm going to ask her why she left and I'm going to get an answer. I also want you to know, no matter what her reasons are, no matter what I missed out on, I'm glad you were there for me. I'll always be grateful you were there and loved me too."

Yang knelt down, kissing her left hand and pressing her fingers to the marker. "I miss you, S- _Mom_. I hope wherever you are you can hear all that I've told you. I hope you know how much I love you."

She stepped back into the woods, towards the cottage. By now the paint had probably dried on her robotic arm, and it'd be time to finish fixing her motorcycle for the journey that lay ahead.

* * *

When Tai watched Yang speed away on her motorcycle, he'd felt himself pulled in two directions. On the one hand, he was glad to see his daughter healthy again and going out to pursue her goal. On the other, his girls were gone from his house again, and though he'd known the day would be inevitable, it had still come far too soon. He may not ever truly be alone so long as his children were somewhere out in the world, but he could still grow lonely.

Fortunately, he had someone in mind he'd been meaning to invite. In between the various texts they'd exchanged to keep in touch, she'd mentioned wanting to find time to visit _him_ and not always have him come to her. She'd been patient with him, and now that patience would finally be rewarded.

She was on the next ship out, leaving Tai to think on Yang's departure on her motorcycle, 'Bumblebee.' He'd have to ask her where _that_ particular moniker came from, because he suspected there was a story there.

Still, eventually she made her grand entrance, knocking on his door. When Tai went to answer it, she slid down her shades and winked at him. "Hey, handsome."

Tai smiled. "Hey, Coco."

She stepped in, taking in the sights of the front room. Tai wasn't certain exactly how this meeting would go: he wondered if she'd become so used to city life and easy access to stores and restaurants and social settings she might be underwhelmed by his out of the way cabin surrounded by woods.

He started on the grand tour, and she actually seemed pleased by the sights. Coco snarked at his oddly tall kitchen cabinets, though Taiyang stopped himself from telling her the reason for it. She might find it cute to think about the single dad hiding cookies from his daughters, but he didn't want to think about Ruby and Yang right now. He'd always have them on his mind, but now that Yang was doing better, he wanted to devote his attention wholly to the woman he'd fallen in love with.

There was still so much left for them to sort out. Though Vale was a little safer thanks to her efforts and the daring of Team CFVY –to the point that Port and Oobleck had felt comfortable enough to visit Tai and leave the battlements for a day- she was no closer to being back in school, and that was still her goal: to become a huntress, and defend the world from dangerous threats alongside her three dear friends.

Tai recognized that goal, and knew where it had led last time. He might've preferred something simpler, something that kept her close to home, if only so he'd never have to go a day without seeing those brown eyes of hers' again, but he knew better than to try and dissuade her. That Coco wanted to share any of her life with him was good enough; before taking her hand in the Bullhead that day he'd never once believed he'd be granted a third chance.

Zwei curled up beside Coco as she cuddled with Tai on the couch, and when she scratched behind his ears, she'd completely won his approval. Zwei was a good judge of character, so that could only be a promising sign.

For a long time he just lay there beside his lover, but eventually, he opened his mouth and asked a dangerous question. "What's next?"

Before, that question might've posed a problem for Coco, when she was unsure where this had all been leading and what she should do and how others might respond. She had no such fear now. She kissed his cheek. "Whatever we want."

"Well I was thinking… at some point we'll need to tell your parents about me," Taiyang pointed out.

Apparently there was still something that could frighten her. Coco thought on his suggestion and asked: "Later, though, right? Not now?"

Tai smiled. "I'm in no hurry."

"No," Coco agreed. "Me neither."

And once more she put doubt from her mind, and turned to the happiness she'd found, no matter how unexpected or unpredictable it might've been, and held it close. The future may have had its share of uncertainty ahead, but the moment she was in now had all that she needed.


End file.
